Lucky Pennyhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032402037&blogid=1766
Penny’s life is a mess. She’s living out of her friend’s
storage unit, and working for a 12-year-old tyrant at a laundromat. When she’s
not attempting to rescue cats from mean kids in the neighborhood, she’s reading
fantasy romance novels, and working on a real life awkward romance of her own.
Lucky Penny ]]>MilanH2016-12-08T17:31:36Z

Penny’s life is a mess. She’s living out of her friend’s
storage unit, and working for a 12-year-old tyrant at a laundromat. When she’s
not attempting to rescue cats from mean kids in the neighborhood, she’s reading
fantasy romance novels, and working on a real life awkward romance of her own.
Lucky Penny, by creators Ananth Hirsh and Yuko Ota, is a quirky romantic
comedy, and also my new favorite graphic novel at the moment.

It reads like a cross between the epic Scott Pilgrim series and
the super twee web cartoon Bee and Puppycat. It’s adorable, funny, and unabashedly
nerdy. I enjoyed it immensely, and you probably will too, so check it out
already!

]]>Of Fire and Starshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032402023&blogid=1766
I love a good, fun fantasy. The world building in Audrey Coulthurst’s debut novel, Of Fire and Stars , is thorough and interesting, as is the character development. Right from the start we are introduced to a girl who discovers she has an Affinity for fire, and while parts of the world are accepting of that, she’s alr]]>KirstenJ2016-12-06T17:54:00ZOf Fire and Stars, is thorough and interesting, as is the character development. Right from the start we are introduced to a girl who discovers she has an Affinity for fire, and while parts of the world are accepting of that, she’s already betrothed to the prince of a kingdom that believes magic use to be heretical. What gives this story a great twist is the romance that blossoms between our protagonist and the sister of her betrothed. I found it refreshing and interesting to read a world where their priorities were flipped - the main challenge of these two women being together wasn’t that they were both women, but that one was betrothed to the other’s brother. Oh, and she can use magic, which is kind of a big deal. Especially when magic-users might be involved in an assassination (or two). There were so many layers to this fantasy, and each one made me want more, even days after finishing the book.]]>Level Up Your Classroomhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032402011&blogid=1766
Many people understand how compelling games can be – just look at how much time people spend playing games in all their formats! What if the qualities that motivate people to come back again and again to the games they love could be utilized to maximize motivation to construct learning? Level Up Your Classroom: The Q]]>BillC2016-12-05T20:24:03ZLevel Up Your Classroom: The Quest to Gamify Your Lessons and Engage Your Students, by Jonathan Cassie, answers these questions:• What happens to student learning when it is gamified?• Why would I want to gamify instruction for my students?• How do I do this?While game-based learning, using specific games to help kids learn, can be useful, this book is not only about that. Rather, the big idea here is to identify and learn to utilize the attributes that make games so compelling in order to facilitate learning. Cassie posits that understanding and recognizing the fundamental properties of games allow teachers to use those properties to facilitate learning. Here is an accessible and practical book with many access points for gamifying your classroom. If you are a game fanatic but don’t know how to incorporate gamification into teaching (or parenting) this is the book for you. If you don’t identify as a gamer yet you recognize there might be some value in gameplay for your students, this book could be... yep, you guessed it, a game-changer.

]]>A History of Architecture in 100 Buildingshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401978&blogid=1766
Of the 100 buildings pictured and discussed in this 2015 book, only nine are in the United States, the closest to Kalamazoo being Mies van de Rohe's 1945-1951 Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois. Hence, this is quite an international volume. The chapters are Pioneers, Rhetoric (Building with a Message), Sacred, Urban V]]>David D.2016-12-01T19:52:39Z]]>Muhammad Ali unfilteredhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401975&blogid=1766
Filled with intimate color and black and white photos, Muhammad Ali unfiltered is a pictorial tribute to The Champ's life and legacy. My favorite pictures in the book are one of him running behind his children in a stroller on a hill and the telegram he sent to Martin Luther King, Jr. who was jailed in Birmingham]]>KristenL2016-12-01T12:54:35ZMuhammad Ali unfiltered is a pictorial tribute to The Champ's life and legacy. My favorite pictures in the book are one of him running behind his children in a stroller on a hill and the telegram he sent to Martin Luther King, Jr. who was jailed in Birmingham. If you want to see more like this, check out the book, and appreciate this legend all over again.]]>Miss Janehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401961&blogid=1766
From Miss Jane by Brad Watson: “She was born into that time and place, in the farmland cut from the pine and broadleaf woods of east-central Mississippi, 1915, when there was no possibility of doing anything to alleviate her condition, no medical procedure to correct it. It was something to be accepted, grim-face]]>CaitlinH2016-11-30T16:13:12ZMiss Jane by Brad Watson:

“She was born into that time and place, in the farmland cut from the pine and broadleaf woods of east-central Mississippi, 1915, when there was no possibility of doing anything to alleviate her condition, no medical procedure to correct it. It was something to be accepted, grim-faced, as they accepted crop failure, debt, poverty, the frequent deaths of infants and small children from fevers and other maladies.”

The novel Miss Jane is a beautifully-written character study of a girl born alone in every way—an odd duck in a family worn down by hardship, alienated from society due to the unique nature of her disability and in no small part to simple geography. She is alone save for the paternal kindness of a country doctor. But there is something about Jane Chisolm, something deep inside, that allows her to connect with nature and build a meaningful life in solitary. I can’t say enough about this book; Brad Watson writes with empathy for his heroine, an empathy that extends out to all of us experiencing the human condition. Using beautiful descriptions of nature to foster tone and atmosphere in the novel, Watson creates a striking sensory experience that propels Miss Jane to the forefront of great contemporary fiction. ]]>Cat Rackhamhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401959&blogid=1766
Cat Rackham is a cat. Specifically, Cat Rackham is a cat with a lot of issues. Depression? He's got it. Existential dread? Same. Self-doubt? Yes. On the other hand he's also got a nifty green t-shirt, a squishy tuft of hair, and a friend in exuberant, speech-impedimented Jeremy Squirrel, but aside from that he's stil]]>Stewart F.2016-11-30T15:09:30ZCat Rackham is a cat. Specifically, Cat Rackham is a cat with a lot of issues. Depression? He's got it. Existential dread? Same. Self-doubt? Yes. On the other hand he's also got a nifty green t-shirt, a squishy tuft of hair, and a friend in exuberant, speech-impedimented Jeremy Squirrel, but aside from that he's still pretty much a mess. Mostly wordless, each Cat Rackham vignette in this collection illustrates the poor feline's coping with life's difficulties, with varying degrees of success. Originally published as an infrequent online comic, Cat Rackham is a more-or-less literal embodiment of creator Steve Wolfhard's personal struggles with depression, along with a love of cats and a desire to entertain. Wolfhard's day job as a storyboard artist and animator for sorta-for-kids-although-maybe-not-I-don't-know cartoon Adventure Timeshows through, with blobby character designs and a morbid sense of humor dominating each page. If you're struggling, if you like cats, or both, maybe Cat Rackham can help. Or not. He's having a hard time himself.]]>A Feast for the Eyeshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401939&blogid=1766
I can't speak to quality or accuracy of the recipes contained in the following books, but the photos in these cookbooks, all published in 2016, will certainly leave your stomach growling! Samarkand: Recipes &amp; Stories from Central Asia &amp; the Caucasus Summers Under the Tamarind Tree: Recipes &amp; Memories f]]>AngelaF2016-11-29T15:41:26ZSamarkand: Recipes & Stories from Central Asia & the CaucasusSummers Under the Tamarind Tree: Recipes & Memories from Pakistan

Amaro: The Spirited World of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas*Not exactly a cookbook, but consider it your digestif to this visual meal.]]>American Nationshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401935&blogid=1766
Could the cultural values of the different European immigrants that first immigrated to what we now call the United States still be affecting our election results? Colin Woodard thinks so. He breaks the country up into eleven regional cultures, but he sees most of political history as a conflict between Yankeedom, d]]>Steve S2016-11-29T09:04:04ZCould the cultural values of the different European immigrants that first immigrated to what we now call the United States still be affecting our election results? Colin Woodard thinks so. He breaks the country up into eleven regional cultures, but he sees most of political history as a conflict between Yankeedom, descendants of the Pilgrims and Puritans; and the Deep South, immigrants from the British colony Barbados that landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1670. In American Nations, Woodard tells the history of the arrival and expansion of these different groups and how they have aligned and broken apart through the next four centuries.

The most fascinating part for me was the Revolutionary War section which showed that the colonies were in no way united about whether or why to start a revolution.

]]>Towers Fallinghttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401926&blogid=1766
I remember how nice the day was. How I didn’t want to go to school. I remember being bored in my Focus on Freshman class when the assistant principal ran, red faced and huffing, into the classroom, handed our teacher a piece of paper, and then ran out. I remember the whole class asking if we were on lockdown, if there]]>KirstenJ2016-11-28T13:46:35ZI remember how nice the day was. How I didn’t want to go to school. I remember being bored in my Focus on Freshman class when the assistant principal ran, red faced and huffing, into the classroom, handed our teacher a piece of paper, and then ran out. I remember the whole class asking if we were on lockdown, if there was an active shooter in our school, or in the high school across town. I remember the teacher struggling with how to explain what had just happened to a bunch of 9th graders. I remember thinking the world was about to change.

It’s hard to imagine that something that happened not that long ago, something I can still remember so vividly, could be a foreign concept to someone else. In Towers Falling, fifth grader Dèja Barnes wonders how something that happened before she was born could have to do with her. How could this bit of history, something that happened 15 years ago, have any impact on her now? The story follows her as she realizes that 9/11 may have happened before she was born, but the effects have touched everyone around her, and ripple outward to affect her life in ways she did not previously understand. This book does such a fabulous job of showing how we are all connected through our small communities that build outward and how we’re all connected as Americans to 9/11 and how history is never something that exists only in the past tense.

]]>They all saw a cathttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401898&blogid=1766
I discovered this book at this year’s Youth Literature Seminar and had to take it home with me. The book has a simple, repetitive, rhyming text that is great when reading to very young children and gives it a sort of sing-song quality. What I really love about this book though, is the way it is illustrated.]]>MikkiH2016-11-21T12:50:17Z

I discovered this book at this year’s Youth Literature Seminar and had to take it home with me. The book has a simple, repetitive, rhyming text that is great when reading to very young children and gives it a sort of sing-song quality. What I really love about this book though, is the way it is illustrated. The cat meets a number of other animals and each has a different view or perspective of it. The dog and the mouse, for example, see the cat very differently. Some of my favorite illustrations were of how the bee, the worm and the, flea see it. Come check out our copy to see what a snake thinks of a cat!

]]>Wet Cement: a mix of concrete poemshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401888&blogid=1766
Concrete Poetry is poetry where the visual elements and typeface match the topic of the poem. In his latest poetry collection, Wet Cement , Bob Raczka shares the cleverest concrete poems (also called shape poems). Young poetry fans and their caregivers will be delighted by the topics, humor, wordplay, and imagery. ]]>AndreaV2016-11-17T13:06:38ZConcrete Poetry is poetry where the visual elements and typeface match the topic of the poem. In his latest poetry collection, Wet Cement, Bob Raczka shares the cleverest concrete poems (also called shape poems). Young poetry fans and their caregivers will be delighted by the topics, humor, wordplay, and imagery. It’s a perfect poetry collection for sharing with new readers and is oft requested at our house. It will make you laugh and think and hopefully inspire you to write some concrete poems of your own. My favorite line describes the Big Dipper constellation as a “vessel of stars, my brim overflowing with night.” For a more thorough review and information about writing and learning with concrete poems, visit School Library Journal. ]]>The Princess and the Warrior, A Tale of Two Volcanoeshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401874&blogid=1766
There have only been a few occasions where I
have discovered an author that I would eventually become obsessed with.&#160; Duncan Tonatiuh (toh-nah-tee-YOU) is one
of those authors.&#160; I was so excited to read
his latest children’s book, The Princess and the Warrior, A Tale of Two Volcanoes . In it, he re]]>KalaL2016-11-16T15:01:10ZThere have only been a few occasions where I
have discovered an author that I would eventually become obsessed with. Duncan Tonatiuh (toh-nah-tee-YOU) is one
of those authors. I was so excited to read
his latest children’s book, The Princess and the Warrior, A Tale of Two Volcanoes. In it, he retells the legend
of the two great volcanoes overlooking Mexico City: Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl. Once again Tonatiuh's artistic style successfully
represents the legends, the people, the history, and the culture of Mexico.

Tonatiuh is Mexican American and he grew up
in both countries. He has received well-deserved
recognitions and awards for his works including the Pura Belpre’ Medal and the
New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book Award. Now more than ever, it
is important to continue to highlight diverse children’s books that promote pride, acceptance, and appreciation for all cultures. This book does all this and more.

]]>My Tata's Remedies/Los remedios de mi tatahttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401872&blogid=1766
Plants are powerful. You probably know how, after cooling with lots of cold water, aloe vera plant can be a salve to soothe a minor burn. Aaron's Tata Gus is a go-to person in the community when people need a remedy for a burn, scrape, or bump. He’s got remedies for lots of different maladies and his community is grate]]>BillC2016-11-15T14:44:19ZMy Nana’s Remedies/Los remedies de mi nana, these traditional remedies are based in herbs found in the everyday world. It is often elders who have earned the respect of the community with compassion, knowledge, and a history of service to the community. The pages at the end of both books give more detail about the plants and herbs described in the stories. Both books are written in both Spanish and English and are based in the author’s community in the Nogales-Tuscon area in North America.I like how My Tata's Remedies/Los remedios de mi tata, a Pura Belpre Honor bookshows how a community looks out for one another with food and with herbal remedies. ]]>To All Misunderstood Cows, Here’s Moo To Youhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401853&blogid=1766
MOO &#160; &#160;is written by award winning author Sharon Creech, who also penned Walk Two Moons , The Wanderer , Ruby Holler and others. She wrote this book partly because she lives in rural Maine and partly because over time she has become “enchanted by cows.”
This work of fiction for third graders and old]]>TeresaM-R2016-11-14T08:07:07ZMOO is written by award winning author Sharon Creech, who also penned Walk Two Moons, The Wanderer, Ruby Holler and others. She wrote this book partly because she lives in rural Maine and partly because over time she has become “enchanted by cows.”

This work of fiction for third graders and older kids is about a family: Mom, Dad, twelve year-old Reena, and seven year-old Luke. The family moves from the big city to Maine, after the parents lose their jobs at a newspaper that goes out of business.

It’s Mom’s idea to just get away from big city life, buy where to go? At this point. Reena blurts out “Maine!” The reaction of her parents is, “Of course!” That is where they had met and fell in love. It made perfect sense to move back. After all, Maine is full of great things - lobsters, blueberries, a beautiful ocean with breaking waves, lighthouses, mountains. But there is one big minus about Maine: Winters are awfully cold there.

There will have to be a period of getting used to Maine’s unique characteristics such as few buses, little traffic, few tall buildings, but mostly to good things. The family moves to a small town on the coast with the ocean just a short block away. They rent a small old house with a woodstove inside and apple and lilac trees outside. As the parents unpack, the kids are let loose to ride their bikes on wide sidewalks and explore their new surroundings.

Since they move to Maine during the summer months, Mom looks for something to occupy the kids. She meets and befriends an elderly neighbor lady who could use some help. Mom “volunteers” the kids to help her with her farm. Mrs. Falala is rather eccentric and bossy, but plays the flute beautifully. As it turns out she also has quite a menagerie of “pets”- Paulie the hog, China the cat, Crockett the parrot, and last but certainly not least a belted back and white Galloway cow named Zora. Oh yes, there’s also a snake named Edna.

Upon meeting cow Zora, the kids, who don’t know a thing about cows, find out that Zora is not only stubborn but ornery as well. But it is their job to take care of her daily needs. The kids scoop and shovel piles of cow dung as well as fill buckets full with feed and water. They do these tasks over and over again and learn a lot about cows in the process. By the end of the book they grow to appreciate Zora and even get to show her at a fair. Supposedly Zora is a prized cow with great lineage. They also grow fond of Mrs. Falala, her flute playing and all of her eccentricities.

A great read that is humorous, sad and heartwarming. A book I found very difficult to put down. In fact, so much so that I read it in just one sitting. Highly recommended and sure to please young and older animal lovers alike.

]]>Six of Crowshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401817&blogid=1766
&#160;I just finished this book, and it is so great that I just
have to tell you all about it! It’s called Six of Crows , and it’s written by
Leigh Bardugo. It’s a heist novel, set in a fantasy world, and normally I don’t go for these types of
stories, because I’m more into nuanced character studies, but that’s pa]]>MilanH2016-11-10T14:15:16Z I just finished this book, and it is so great that I just
have to tell you all about it! It’s called Six of Crows, and it’s written by
Leigh Bardugo. It’s a heist novel, set in a fantasy world, and normally I don’t go for these types of
stories, because I’m more into nuanced character studies, but that’s part of
why this book is so great.

Each and every character on the team for the big job in this
book is fully three-dimensional, with worries, fears, and short comings. Also,
it’s a diverse cast of characters, which is really refreshing. The leader of
the team Kaz, is 17 and has to walk with a cane due to an injury, and the
author wrote that she included this because she herself has to walk with a cane
due to a disability.

A lot of times disabled people are erased from narratives,
or if they are included in the story, they are defined by their disability. So
I was elated to see a strong, complex, interesting character like Kaz.

I love this book, and I’m excited to start on the sequel.
Don’t miss out!

]]>The Urban Monkhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401803&blogid=1766
As a natural skeptic, I usually don’t put much stock into any book that touts itself as “life changing” or offers “easy steps to health and happiness”. So when I picked up Pedram Shojai’s The Urban Monk , I was expecting to quickly skim a few chapters followed by a healthy dose of eye-rolling. However, I was pleasantl]]>mykyl2016-11-09T11:48:17ZThe Urban Monk, I was expecting to quickly skim a few chapters followed by a healthy dose of eye-rolling. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find much more pragmatic advice, and a unique mix of ancient wisdom and modern science, than the expected empty health claims and Pollyannaish platitudes. I do understand that a deep dive, or even a toe dip, into eastern medicine and philosophy won’t be for everyone. But there isn’t a person I know that wouldn’t benefit from having a better handle on their stress levels, couldn’t use a little more joy and balance in their lives, or simply not feeling totally overwhelmed by the modern world, and the tips offered in The Urban Monk certainly won’t hurt in the pursuit of that better life.]]>Best Book on Racism I've Ever Readhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401802&blogid=1766
There is nothing I can say to do this book justice. Let's start here: certain books change our life, our perspective, our understanding, and bring us to a new level as moral human beings. This is one of those books ( The Invisible Man and Between the World and Me come to mind as well). But this was the best book I']]>MattS2016-11-09T11:12:31ZThere is nothing I can say to do this book justice. Let's start here: certain books change our life, our perspective, our understanding, and bring us to a new level as moral human beings. This is one of those books (The Invisible Man and Between the World and Me come to mind as well). But this was the best book I've ever read on racism in America, bar none. I enjoyed Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow, and this is similar, but Stamped is much better in terms of scope and writing style, ambition and courage.

Do not be fooled or scared by the length of the book. I devoured every single page and, wanting more, began reading it again. It reads fast, like a short book with huge ambition - it chronicles the entire history of racist ideas in America, and it does so brilliantly to a popular audience. From sipping English tea and trading slaves to the Americas, to Barak Obama as president, all ideas about race are analyzed and put into their historical context (to name one: "law and order")

Some main ideas to chew on. First, ideas about race come in three flavors (a) antiracist ideas, which means roughly "there's nothing wrong with Black people." hint: that's the correct position. (b) segregationist ideas, "there's something inherently wrong with Black people", and (c) assimilationist ideas, "there's something wrong with Black people, but we can fix it, and they probably need to be more White." The book is a case study in how wrong, insidious, and powerful assimilationist ideas are throughout our history. Second, Black folks can be racist towards black people. Ideas don't discriminate and we are all swimming in the same pool. Indeed, the author begins the book by saying he had several racist ideas that he had to shed during the writing of the book. He drank some of the kool-aid, without even knowing it. A big part of the book is boldly calling out these ideas. He is not soft on historical figures. History has always had antiracist ideas and racist ideas. Third, most of the solutions we have tried have not worked, sadly. Pointing at successful Black people and saying "see! look!" hasn't worked (and has the opposite affect). And educating White people hasn't worked either. Kendi believes nothing less than a massive, grassroots movement (e.g. Black Power, Black Lives Matter) which forces powerful people to end discrimination will work. And having truly antiracist people in power is the only long-term solution. End discrimination, he says, and you end racism and racist ideas about Black people.

]]>The story of the first student-run high school!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401786&blogid=1766
&#160;A school of their own is the story of how author, Samuel Levin, as a high school junior created a student-run high school after achieving international fame for his student-run farm-to-school lunch program. “The Independent Project” an alternative school that is part of the Monument Mountain Regional High Schoo]]>KristenL2016-11-07T10:28:10Z

A school of their own is the story of how author, Samuel Levin, as a high school junior created a student-run high school after achieving international fame for his student-run farm-to-school lunch program. “The Independent Project” an alternative school that is part of the Monument Mountain Regional High School in Massachusetts, allows teens to decide their own curriculum, with no parents, teachers or adults intervening. The program has been wildly successful since its inception in 2010, partially because it accommodates different kinds of learners, and has allowed kids to graduate from high school that might not have otherwise.

]]>X Child Stars : Where Are They Now?http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401774&blogid=1766
Here's another 2016 book that, for me anyway, turned out to be addictive. I know, I know -- I could have Googled all these stars' names and found good information about them, but then I would first have had to know what names to look up. Kathy Garver, child actress on Family Affair in the late 1960s and early 1970s, ]]>David D.2016-11-02T20:34:39ZFamily Affair in the late 1960s and early 1970s, has written this book that categorizes child actors by the programs in which they starred and includes biographies that bring each actor's story up to the current date. Covered are shows from the 1950s, beginning with I Love Lucy and ending with the 1980s and Family Matters. It's nice that each chapter begins with a summary of the show, telling how many seasons the show aired, on what network and when, and giving other historical details. Anyone who saw TV during the years covered will find much to like about this volume.]]>Thunder Boy Jr.http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401772&blogid=1766
Thunder Boy Jr . by Sherman Alexie, illus. by YuYi Morales.&#160;My mother’s name is Agnes. My sister’s name is Lillian. But my name is Thunder Boy Smith Jr. and people call me LITTLE THUNDER. That is not a normal name. I HATE MY NAME! I am named after my father: Thunder Boy Smith Sr. and people call him BIG T]]>AmyChase2016-11-02T14:53:50ZThunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie, illus. by YuYi Morales. My mother’s name is Agnes. My sister’s name is Lillian. But my name is Thunder Boy Smith Jr. and people call me LITTLE THUNDER. That is not a normal name. I HATE MY NAME! I am named after my father: Thunder Boy Smith Sr. and people call him BIG THUNDER.

My mother wanted to name me Sam, Sam is a normal name. I want a name that sounds like me. I want a name that celebrates something cool that I’ve done. I’ve climbed a mountain, maybe my name should be TOUCH THE CLOUDS. I like to go to garage sales with my mom, so maybe my name should be OLD TOYS ARE AWESOME. Little Thunder continues the possibilities of names for himself. Finally, his father tells him that he is going to give a new name to his son. The name he gives him will light up the sky. This is an engaging story that is fun to read.

]]>Make Awesome Beer at Homehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401761&blogid=1766
I’ve been making beer at home for a few years now. Beers, just like food, can only be as good as the recipes they come from. One of the problems with homebrewing is that the internet is a repository for terrible beer recipes, turns out. Therefore, it becomes important to either experiment on your own (which could end ]]>MattS2016-10-31T16:49:45ZI’ve been making beer at home for a few years now. Beers, just like food, can only be as good as the recipes they come from. One of the problems with homebrewing is that the internet is a repository for terrible beer recipes, turns out. Therefore, it becomes important to either experiment on your own (which could end in disaster), or find recipes that you trust. I recommend starting with the latter to get a basic understanding of various styles.

Who to trust? Enter this book. Gordon Strong is an excellent award winning brewer. His recipes are top notch, and he explains them. I almost feel like I’m cheating. I wouldn't use this book to learn about the process of homebrewing, especially if you're a beginning. Strong's process is quite complicated and daunting.

Cheers!

]]>We Found A Hathttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401759&blogid=1766
We Found A Hat is Jon Klassen's third and final book in a loose trilogy of picture books ostensibly about ridiculous animals wearing ill-fitting hats. This time around, the animals in question are a pair of sleepy tortoises, the hat is a white cowboy hat, and the setting is the desert just before nightfall. The pro]]>Stewart F.2016-10-31T15:17:28ZWe Found A Hat is Jon Klassen's third and final book in a loose trilogy of picture books ostensibly about ridiculous animals wearing ill-fitting hats. This time around, the animals in question are a pair of sleepy tortoises, the hat is a white cowboy hat, and the setting is the desert just before nightfall. The problem? There's two tortoises but only one hat! How will they decide which one gets the hat (which, hilariously, is too large for either of them) and will they decide without conflict? Readers of the previous two"hat" books may be expecting some cartoonish violence by now, but without giving too much away, the resolution to We Found A Hat is much stranger, and sweeter, than might be expected.]]>Halloween Readshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401758&blogid=1766
I was obsessed with ghost stories when I was a kid, particularly Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark written Alvin Schwartz and ghoulishly illustrated by Stephen Gammell. My love of ghost stories turned into a love of horror movies as I grew up ( The Babadook and It Follows being recent favorites of mine), b]]>CaitlinH2016-10-31T14:51:53ZI was obsessed with ghost stories when I was a kid, particularlyScary Stories to Tell in the Dark written Alvin Schwartz and ghoulishly illustrated by Stephen Gammell. My love of ghost stories turned into a love of horror movies as I grew up (The Babadook and It Followsbeing recent favorites of mine), but there a still a few ghost stories that have kept my interest as an adult:

All of these books are perfect for fall reading and curling up with a blanket (and at my house, a dog or three) when it gets dark. But don’t blame me if you if they keep you awake at night!

]]>Looking for a shorter, high interest book to read?http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401753&blogid=1766
Try the Rapid reads series! These books are all in the 100-something page range. They are high interest books, geared toward teens and adults that are reluctant readers or looking to improve their reading skills. KPL recently added another great title from this series, The innocence device , about a future wher]]>KristenL2016-10-31T09:41:11ZTry the Rapid reads series! These books are all in the 100-something page range. They are high interest books, geared toward teens and adults that are reluctant readers or looking to improve their reading skills. KPL recently added another great title from this series, The innocence device, about a future where the world is made up of only prisoners and guards. There is overcrowding in one prison, and a machine named the Innocence Device is introduced that supposedly can determine innocence or guilt, with the result being instant freedom or death. Prisoners discover the machine is rigged and riot to claim control of the prison.

]]>The Last Boy and Girl in the Worldhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401736&blogid=1766
The town of Aberdeen is pretty much drowning as the local river waters rise. Residents are caught trying to decide whether to stay and tough it out or stay and leave their home and break up their community. Keely and her friends decide to make the most of what will likely be their last days together in Aberdeen. In the]]>AndreaV2016-10-27T15:49:14ZThe Last Boy in the and Girl in the World is another great teen novel, telling a compelling story and asking questions about the deeper things in life at the same time.]]>Extremes of Masculinityhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401721&blogid=1766
Kent Russell takes the title of his book, I Am Sorry To Think I have Raised a Timid Son , from something Daniel Boone said to his son when he found out he had not volunteered for the military. This son then volunteered and was soon killed in the war.
Boone is just one of the myths of masculinity that Russell ex]]>Steve S2016-10-25T10:05:34ZKent Russell takes the title of his book,I Am Sorry To Think I have Raised a Timid Son, from something Daniel Boone said to his son when he found out he had not volunteered for the military. This son then volunteered and was soon killed in the war.

Boone is just one of the myths of masculinity that Russell explores as he tries to understand his own relationship with his father. He spends time with a self-immunizer for snake bites who is going to try to survive five bites within 24 hours, an ice hockey goon who was known for his toughness and viciousness, the Juggalos who follow the band The Insane Clown Posse, and others.

Well written, funny and insightful. I picked it up browsing the audiobooks and I’m glad I did.

]]>The Inquisitor's Talehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401701&blogid=1766
&#160; Set in 1242 France, this is not your usual novel for
children, but oh, is it remarkable! &#160; Told
through the stories of various people, gathered at an inn, the adventures
unfold with delight, dismay, and despair. &#160;
The Inquisitor’s Tale: or, The
Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog is]]>Susan2016-10-21T09:17:14ZSet in 1242 France, this is not your usual novel for
children, but oh, is it remarkable! Told
through the stories of various people, gathered at an inn, the adventures
unfold with delight, dismay, and despair.The Inquisitor’s Tale: or, The
Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog is a literary gift for readers.

]]>The Nordic theory of everything : in search of a better lifehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401698&blogid=1766
I picked up this book expecting something completely different than what it actually is. The quick blurb I read about the book said something about how the author had moved from Finland to the United States, and was reflecting on how Nordic attitudes could improve life in the US. I was expecting a light-hearted look at]]>AmyAH2016-10-20T13:49:56ZAnother great thing about this book was the effort she took to seriously consider all of the concerns that Americans have about adopting these types of social programs. For instance, she addresses the concern over higher taxes by comparing real tax rates for people in all income levels.

If you’ve ever looked at taxes, health insurance, college loans, or child care and thought “There has to be a better way”, this book might be for you. ]]>She Stood for Freedomhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401690&blogid=1766
"You can never go wrong by doing what is right. It might not be easy, but it is always right," said Joan Trumpauer Mulholland. She Stood for Freedom is the story of a little-known Civil Rights Hero. Born in 1941, Joan was raised in the segregated southern United States. Because of the different ways that they had ]]>BillC2016-10-19T13:08:16Z"You can never go wrong by doing what is right. It might not be easy, but it is always right," said Joan Trumpauer Mulholland. She Stood for Freedom is the story of a little-known Civil Rights Hero. Born in 1941, Joan was raised in the segregated southern United States. Because of the different ways that they had been socialized, Joan's parents disagreed with each other about segregation. Joan began college at Duke University, her mother's choice. At that time, Duke University was a segregated school - black students weren't allowed to attend. Even so, at this all white institution, some students of conscience including Joan began to connect with black students at other colleges and to help with the civil rights movement in the south.

Joan went on to participate in sit-ins and other demonstrations against businesses and institutions that discriminated against people because of race. After a Freedom Riders bus was bombed in May, 1961, she joined the Freedom Rides movement protesting discrimination in interstate travel. For these actions, Joan and others who had traveled to Mississippi to help were arrested and was imprisoned at the Mississippi State Penitentiary. When she was released, she remained in Mississippi where she was admitted to attend Tougaloo College. Unlike segregated Duke University, Tougaloo was a primarily-black school. Because Tougaloo was the rare place in Mississippi where people could gather together regardless of the color of their skin, it was an institution that provided a venue for writers, musicians, and speakers who were also involved in the civil rights movement.

The brutality that Joan and to a greater extent many of her compatriots experienced at a sit-in at a lunch counter in Jackson, Mississippi, is documented in photographs from those events and others. The book includes other primary sources including a letter from the Superintendent of Parchman Penitentiary to Joan’s parents that reflects the institutional racism in the prison system. A younger readers’ picture book edition tells the story without as many details or primary sources. It seems like it would have been easy for Joan, with her privileged background, to step back from doing what she knew was right. She continued down a path of non-violent organizing and action that helped in the passage of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act. Joan went on to raise a family and to work as a teacher’s assistant in Virginia. Her son, Loki Mulholland, is a filmmaker and wrote this biography. His film,An Ordinary Hero, tells his mother's story and is featured at the National Civil Rights Museum.

]]>American Treasureshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401678&blogid=1766
December 26, 1941: “He wouldn’t fully relax until the B &amp; O National Limited reached its final destination the following morning, but the fact that the train was leaving Washington, D.C., carrying its cargo, accompanied by two of his finest agents, was a promising milestone in the mission.”
So what was on the ]]>AnnR2016-10-18T08:00:38ZDecember 26, 1941: “He wouldn’t fully relax until the B & O National Limited reached its final destination the following morning, but the fact that the train was leaving Washington, D.C., carrying its cargo, accompanied by two of his finest agents, was a promising milestone in the mission.”

I won’t say this is a page-turner but the back stories about these three documents and how they came to be, is quite interesting as are the efforts to protect, preserve, and appropriately display them over the years.

The importance of these documents seems especially relevant in this season of political rancor. I have renewed, deeper appreciation and respect for the founding fathers and the documents they drafted.

]]>Dog Lost- Humanity Foundhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401667&blogid=1766
Pauls Toutonghi's "Dog Gone: A Lost Pet's Extraordinary Journey and the Family Who Brought Him Home" is the beautifully written true account of one family's life prior to their son's losing his spirited dog, Gonker, and what transpires during the ensuing search for him.
Gonker is a six-year old golden retriever mix]]>TeresaM-R2016-10-15T09:39:32ZPauls Toutonghi's "Dog Gone: A Lost Pet's Extraordinary Journey and the Family Who Brought Him Home" is the beautifully written true account of one family's life prior to their son's losing his spirited dog, Gonker, and what transpires during the ensuing search for him.

Gonker is a six-year old golden retriever mix who on Saturday, October 10, 1998 is hiking the Appalachian Trail with his best friend Fielding Marshall when, without any warning, he bolts into the woods. Fielding calls and calls for his dog to return, but to no avail; Gonker simply vanishes into the surrounding wilderness.

The book is not only about the meticulous search that the family conducts for their beloved dog(who happens to be especially fond of fresh doughnuts), but also delves into the lives of each member of the Marshall family-father John, mother Ginny, sister Peyton and of course, Fielding. Author Toutonghi becomes immersed in their story. He probes deeply into their family history, highlighting both it's good and ugly faces. He also examines the strong bind between canines and humans from various historical, literary, psychological and philosophical perspectives.

To heighten the tension of the search narrative, it is revealed that Gonker suffers from Addison's disease which requires him to receive an injection every twenty-three days.The author then counts down the days to Gonker's demise at the beginning of each chapter in the final third of the book.

Great read! I thoroughly enjoyed it! This is a great title to pick up in October which, as it turns out, happens to be "Adopt a Shelter Dog Month". So, plunge yourself into this wonderfully heartfelt true story of humans and their relationship with their pets. Then, if you should get inspired, go out and adopt a new four-legged canine friend from any one of the following local animal welfare organizations: Animal Rescue,Animal Control Shelter, SPCA, Animal's Best Friend, Richland Animal Rescue, etc.

Who knows, maybe as with some members of the Marshall family, the life you end up saving just may be your own.

]]>Girl Mans Uphttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401666&blogid=1766
Girl Mans Up is a teen book by M-E Girard about Pen, a girl who just doesn't fit in the way people want her to. She has to navigate the normal challenges of high school, which include supporting a new friend through an accidental pregnancy, figuring out her changing relationships with her guy friends, and dating for ]]>ElyseM2016-10-14T12:51:51ZGirl Mans Up is a teen book by M-E Girard about Pen, a girl who just doesn't fit in the way people want her to. She has to navigate the normal challenges of high school, which include supporting a new friend through an accidental pregnancy, figuring out her changing relationships with her guy friends, and dating for the first time. In addition, she is living the truth of her gender identity and sexuality, while fighting the intense disapproval of her traditional Portuguese parents and others at school and in public. Pen's honest, funny, and thoughtful perspective drew me into this novel, and the other characters were just as interesting. Pick Pen for your new favorite LGBTQ/teen protagonist.]]>Don't Miss Out!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401665&blogid=1766
&#160;In case you didn’t know, right now in theatres there is a
brilliant movie called the Queen of Katwe . Starring Lupita Nyong’o, and David
Oyelowo, it follows the journey of a young girl named Phiona living in the
slums of Uganda who learns the game of chess and quickly skyrockets through the
ranks to be a na]]>MilanH2016-10-13T14:42:47Z In case you didn’t know, right now in theatres there is a
brilliant movie called the Queen of Katwe. Starring Lupita Nyong’o, and David
Oyelowo, it follows the journey of a young girl named Phiona living in the
slums of Uganda who learns the game of chess and quickly skyrockets through the
ranks to be a national champion, even competing in international competitions
for the rank of Grandmaster. In the process, she is able to improve life
conditions for herself, her family, and uplift the community as a whole.

Right after the credits rolled, I headed straight to the
bookshelves to find out more about this incredible individual. The biographythe movie is based on, by Tim Crothers, fleshes out the inspirational tale a bit more to include the political climate of the country
at the time, and gives more details about some of the great challenges Phiona
Mutesi was able to overcome. Don’t miss
out on this great story of true life triumph!

]]>Ask Me How I Got Herehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401641&blogid=1766
Written in verse, Ask Me How I Got Here , gives us a quick glimpse of life for a pregnant teenager. Addie is a good student, star runner who attends a Catholic school for girls. With the support of her parents and boyfriend, she gets an abortion. The poems that follow as Addie struggles through morality class, pe]]>Jill L2016-10-11T13:37:19ZAsk Me How I Got Here, gives us a quick glimpse of life for a pregnant teenager. Addie is a good student, star runner who attends a Catholic school for girls. With the support of her parents and boyfriend, she gets an abortion. The poems that follow as Addie struggles through morality class, pep assemblies and quitting the cross country team are short but powerful. Addie gives poetic thought to religion, women’s rights, choice and her own story of self discovery. The book ends with a list of community and national resources to help ensure that no one ever has to face an unplanned pregnancy alone.]]>Nat Turner and Slave Resistancehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401618&blogid=1766
Filmmaker Nate Parker made history at this year's Sundance Film Festival when he sold his film, The Birth of a Nation , to Fox Searchlight for $17.5 million , the highest amount ever paid at the festival. The film went on to win the festival's U.S. Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award. The film follows the lif]]>AngelaF2016-10-06T12:17:02ZNate Parker made history at this year's Sundance Film Festival when he sold his film, The Birth of a Nation, to Fox Searchlight for $17.5 million, the highest amount ever paid at the festival. The film went on to win the festival's U.S. Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award. The film follows the life of Nat Turner, and the slave revolt he led in Virginia in 1831. When asked in an interview why he chose to use the same title for his film as the 1915 silent film often credited as a catalyst for the reemergence of the Ku Klux Klan, Parker responded, "I've reclaimed this title and re-purposed it as a tool to challenge racism and white supremacy in America, to inspire a riotous disposition toward any and all injustice in this country (and abroad) and to promote the kind of honest confrontation that will galvanize our society toward healing and sustained systemic change."

When news of this film at Sundance first emerged many months ago, some friends and I were discussing our eager anticipation of the film, which opens in theaters today. Those conversations led me to think more about slave revolts and how these episodes in American history are often minimized, or completely ignored. In fact, well into the mid-20th century some white scholars of American history still claimed that Africans passively accepted enslavement. We know this isn't the case, but it's not a topic covered very thoroughly by most history courses before university-level. Wanting to learn more, I began reading more works on slave resistance.

American Uprising: the Untold Story of America's Largest Slave Revolt by Daniel Rasmussen This book details the 1811 revolt in what is present-day Louisiana. Hundreds of slaves from several different sugar cane plantations marched together in an attempt to overtake New Orleans. It is thought the Haitian Revolution, ending in 1804, partly inspired this uprising, which was ultimately unsuccessful and led to the execution of 95 slaves.

Nat Turner by Kyle Baker This award-winning graphic novel details Turner's life, beginning with his mother's enslavement and ending with his execution for his role in the revolt.

Ardency: a Chronicle of the Amistad Rebels by Kevin YoungThis is a poetic retelling of the Amistad revolt by poet and scholar Kevin Young, who was long-listed for this year's National Book Award for poetry and was named director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture this past August.]]>Atlas of Cursed Placeshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401617&blogid=1766
When people see the term 'atlas' in the title of this book, they will probably think it's such a large tome that they will have to try to park close by when they come to pick it up. This is not the case with Atlas of Cursed Places : A Travel Guide to Dangerous and Frightful Destinations, since it has only 142 pages. ]]>David D.2016-10-05T20:08:21ZAtlas of Cursed Places : A Travel Guide to Dangerous and Frightful Destinations, since it has only 142 pages. Speaking for myself, I'll be honest and say I'm not going to use this scary volume as a 'travel guide,' but I enjoyed looking at it nonetheless. The back cover of the book describes some of the locations to visit, which include the dangerous Strait of Messina, location of the mythical sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis; the coal town of Jharia, India, where the ground constantly burns with fire; Kasanka National Park in Zambia, where 5 million migrating bats darken the skies; and Aokigahara, a forest near Mt. Fuji in Japan, the world's second most popular suicide location following the Golden Gate Bridge. And, what would a book of this nature be without a chapter on the Bermuda Triangle? A bonus is that each entry is accompanied by a vintage map.]]>Walking Through a World of Aromashttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401615&blogid=1766
While preparing for a presentation on diversity
in children's literature, I came across Walking through a world of aromas &#160;by Ariel Andres Almada.&#160;&#160;What a delightful book.&#160; It tells the story of Annie, a young girl
that is vision-impaired.&#160; Annie learns to
overcome many obstacles and&#160;]]>KalaL2016-10-05T14:00:31ZWhile preparing for a presentation on diversity
in children's literature, I came across Walking through a world of aromas by Ariel Andres Almada. What a delightful book. It tells the story of Annie, a young girl
that is vision-impaired. Annie learns to
overcome many obstacles and develops an
ability to "smell" a world that she cannot see. I am particularly impressed with the
powerful, yet mellow illustrations. This
is a definite must read for preschoolers and early elementary school readers.]]>Perfume Riverhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401598&blogid=1766
The Vietnam war, family secrets, marriage, and father-son relationships: Perfume River addresses all of the above and more...and my curiosity is piqued. Among reviews of this recent addition to our collection, Booklist calls it "thoughtful, introspective fiction of the highest caliber," while Kirkus declares it "a s]]>KarenT2016-10-02T16:23:20ZThe Vietnam war, family secrets, marriage, and father-son relationships: Perfume River addresses all of the above and more...and my curiosity is piqued. Among reviews of this recent addition to our collection, Booklist calls it "thoughtful, introspective fiction of the highest caliber," while Kirkus declares it "a story that's both complex and meaningful." Finally, Publisher's Weekly says "the book speaks eloquently of the way the past bleeds into the present, history reverberates through individual lives, and mortality challenges our perceptions of ourselves and others."

I'm adding it to my "to read" list. Maybe you will too...

]]>Open Letterhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401597&blogid=1766
In a free and open society the right to express oneself, even when the content of that expression may result in offending a small or large number of citizens is at the heart of the constitution’s first amendment and while France (the country most responsible for influencing our nation’s focus on personal liberties) may]]>RyanG2016-09-30T11:35:39ZOpen Letter: On Blasphemy, Islamaphobia, and the True Enemies of Free Expression for a perspective that will likely provoke moral squirming from both ends of the political and religious spectrum. From the jacket, “A searing criticism of hypocrisy and racism, and a rousing, eloquent defense of free speech, Open Letter shows Charb’s words to be as powerful and provocative as his art. This an essential book about race, religion, the voice of ethnic minorities and majorities in a pluralistic society, and above all, the right to free expression and the surprising challenges being leveled at it in our fraught and dangerous time”.]]>The Serpent Kinghttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401596&blogid=1766
Jeff Zentner's The Serpent King is that rarest of young adult books; one about normal teens in a small town wasteland, quietly struggling with sadness and pain and the realization that darkness is part of many of us, hidden just below the surface. It's a book that doesn't sugarcoat the problems the characters face, b]]>Stewart F.2016-09-30T10:43:20ZThe Serpent King is that rarest of young adult books; one about normal teens in a small town wasteland, quietly struggling with sadness and pain and the realization that darkness is part of many of us, hidden just below the surface. It's a book that doesn't sugarcoat the problems the characters face, but also doesn't exploit them- you can understand the quiet desperation and the need to make a change, if only you could just figure out how.

Lydia, Dillard and Travis are three friends united by their outsider statuses- Lydia for her outrageous fashion sense and smarts(not an easy thing in rural Tennessee, apparently), Travis by his love of a Game of Thrones-type fantasy world, Internet girlfriend, and ever-present wood staff, and Dill by his preacher father's horrific fall from grace and his family's long, dark past. The three form an unlikely triangle, with each holding up the others as they navigate the end of high school and the difficulties of rural life. Religion and faith play a large part in The Serpent King, but it's never trivialized or ridiculed, and it's a testament to first-time author Zentner's skills that he writes Dill's faith with sensitivity even in the face of powerful external forces.

The Serpent King is a powerful debut novel, and I can't wait to see where Mr. Zentner goes from here.]]>Bookedhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401587&blogid=1766
&#160; Kwame Alexander has written another beautiful
novel-in-verse about boys and sports. &#160; It’s
funny, sporty, literary, and full of middle school emotion. &#160;&#160; Booked
is a quick read, but you’ll want to savor this one. &#160;
&#160;
&#160; ]]>Susan2016-09-29T16:17:51ZKwame Alexander has written another beautiful
novel-in-verse about boys and sports.It’s
funny, sporty, literary, and full of middle school emotion.Booked
is a quick read, but you’ll want to savor this one.

]]>Banned Books Week --This One Summerhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401583&blogid=1766
&#160; Banned Books Week isn’t over yet, so here’s one more
interesting, if controversial book to add to our blog discussion.
&#160;
It’s no secret that I am a fan of graphic novels, and teen
books, so it’s no surprise that I gravitated towards This One Summer written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by h]]>MilanH2016-09-29T12:21:24ZBanned Books Week isn’t over yet, so here’s one more
interesting, if controversial book to add to our blog discussion.

It’s no secret that I am a fan of graphic novels, and teen
books, so it’s no surprise that I gravitated towards This One Summer written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by her
cousin Jillian Tamaki. This beautiful book was initially very well received,
winning the 2015 Printz Honor Award for best teen book, based on literary
merit, and the Caldecott award for its stunning illustrations.

However, earlier this year the book was banned at parents’
request in libraries in Minnesota and Florida for its profanity and mature
themes. Honestly, most of the upset was probably due to misunderstanding.
Because the book is a Caldecott winner, an honor usually bestowed upon children’s
books, people probably read it, and took offense that the subject matter wasn’t
suitable for let’s say their eight year old child.

The book follows two twelve year old girls spending the
summer in a beach town. Standing right on the brink of adulthood, they encounter
and discuss subjects that are happening in their life, and the lives around
them. That includes puberty, crushes, sex, marital problems, miscarriage, and
unwanted pregnancy.

It’s a shame that this book was banned, because it really is
a lovely book, and the graphic novel format really amplifies the work with the
idyllic setting being inked in shades of blue. It’s a great novel, and I hope
you take the time to check it out.

]]>When strangers meethttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401581&blogid=1766
Here is a book that puts into words the extremely satisfied feeling I have gained from a lifetime of striking up conversations with random people in airports, playgrounds, stores, restaurants, libraries, on the street, and probably most of all, in LONG lines at various places! Kio Stark’s When strangers meet : how pe]]>KristenL2016-09-29T11:18:29ZWhen strangers meet : how people you don’t know can transform you encourages intentional interaction with strangers, which can be a life-changing, enriching experience. Even brief word exchanges can help you become more a part of your community, and others. There is a world out there of people longing for connection…don’t just look down at the sidewalk.]]>The Seventh Wishhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401580&blogid=1766
A banned book just makes me want to check it out. Earlier this
year, a Vermont school uninvited beloved children's book author, Kate Messner,
from a planned visit due to the content in her latest book, &#160; The Seventh Wish &#160; . Honestly, I
might have missed this gem of a story, had it not been in the &#16]]>AndreaV2016-09-28T16:59:23ZA banned book just makes me want to check it out. Earlier this
year, a Vermont school uninvited beloved children's book author, Kate Messner,
from a planned visit due to the content in her latest book,The Seventh Wish. Honestly, I
might have missed this gem of a story, had it not been in thenewsfor this
reason. But I'm so glad I didn't because it's an important story and a good
read.

The Seventh Wishis about
so many things, including Irish dancing, ice fishing, middle school
friendships, and the love of a close-knit family. It's also about opiod
addiction. In the story, the main character's older sister struggles with drug
use and eventually leaves college to go to rehab for her addiction. In the
midst of the rest of the main character's life, the effects of addiction on
each member of the family are explored. This was, of course, this part of the
book that caused it to be censored earlier this year. You can read some of the author's thoughts
and details on this summer's events here.

]]>Don’t Ban Heather and her Family!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401564&blogid=1766
Heather has two arms, two legs, two pets and two mommies. There is a lot of love in her home, but when Heather goes to school, she worries maybe she’s the only child without a daddy. The teacher helps all the students learn that each family has their own special combination of people and that “the most important thing]]>Christine2016-09-27T16:19:03ZHeather has two arms, two legs, two pets and two mommies. There is a lot of love in her home, but when Heather goes to school, she worries maybe she’s the only child without a daddy. The teacher helps all the students learn that each family has their own special combination of people and that “the most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love each other.”

Leslea Newman self-published Heather has two Mommies in 1989. It’s been re-published many times since. This most recent version, published in 2015, is the best in my opinion. The pictures make all the difference! Laura Cornell’s watercolor illustrations add color and many comic touches to the story.

For example, when Mama Kate, the doctor, and Heather listen to each other’s heartbeats with stethoscopes, the two pets participate. Kitty Gingersnap is comfortably plopped on Mama Kate’s medical bag, and Midnight, the dog, leans in with her ear flopped over Mama Kate’s knee. The band-aids on Mama’s knee--stuck to the outside of her blue jeans--and at various spots on the sofa, as well as the purple lily attached to Heather’s hair are all chuckle-worthy. Gingersnap and Midnight appear some special place in every home scene, helping out -- mixing cookie batter and ‘cleaning’ the floor-- or just hanging out. (Look for them on the bed at storytime.) The school scenes are just as precious. This is a picture book, after all, and the pictures draw the reader in.

Heather has two Mommies was one of the most challenged books in the 1990’s, because it doesn’t represent some people’s beliefs about what a family should look like. The book endured over time, regardless of efforts to ban it. All kids benefit from seeing themselves and their family lives represented in story and pictures. Children can learn to embrace diversity by reading about all kinds of families and other children.

]]>Banned Books Week: Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl and an Adolescent Thiefhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401563&blogid=1766
FarrellH2016-09-27T15:57:54ZWhen I was eight years old, I stumbled across a book in my elementary school library that sparked a decades-long obsession for a certain period of world history and sewed the seeds for the activist I would become as an adult -- Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl.

The books in my elementary school library were sorted by grade level. Students were only allowed to check out books from their grade range. A few times per week, my class would visit the school library for an hour of quiet reading. During one of these visits, as I walked up and down the aisles, an off-white book with a black and white photo of a young girl caught my eye. I remember studying her face, her large eyes, and wondering what she was thinking about at the moment that school photo was taken. Intrigued, I plopped down on a whistle chair in a private corner and started to read.

Within minutes I was sucked into the world of this 13-year-old girl and quickly lost track of time. When my teacher informed the class it was time to check out, I panicked. I knew I would not be able to check out the book, as I was not old enough. I was desperate to finish it, so I made the drastic choice to slip the diary into my backpack. I remember sweating, being terrified as I walked out of the library, waiting for a firm hand to grab my shoulder and an angry voice to call me out as a thief. I thought about how much trouble I would be in. Despite the fear, I wasn’t swayed. I HAD to finish the book.

Anne’s life was drastically different from mine, but in many ways, I related to her. I too found escape through writing. I too found relief in creating other worlds I felt safe in. I identified with her feelings of isolation and desperation for a different life -- a different, kinder world. By the time I neared the end of the diary and realized she died alone at Bergen-Belsen, I was heartbroken. I felt like I had lost a friend, a confidant.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but at 8 years old, I had experienced the age-old, controversial practice of book banning. Someone else deemed the material was inappropriate for someone my age. Someone else determined I was not mature enough to handle the content of the book, and demanded my school prevent students of my age access to it. This someone had no idea the impact this book would have on my life. While I absolutely do not condone stealing, I do not regret my decision.

Since Anne’s father Otto Frank published the first edition of the diary in 1947, Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl remains one of the most challenged books in history. The original published diary, and the subsequent releases of the rest of Anne’s writings have been under constant fire by opponents, mostly Holocaust deniers, who have questioned their authenticity.

Because of the persistent accusations against the diary in the 1960’s and 70’s, Otto Frank led the charge for a number of investigations. The most extensive was executed in the early 1980’s by the Netherlands Forensic Institute at the request of the National Institute for War Documentation. The result was a 250-page report that irrefutably proved the authenticity of Anne’s collection of work.

It is ironic that ever since her death at age 16 in 1945, Anne Frank is still being persecuted. As recently as 2013, a mother of a seventh-grade girl in the Northville school district in Michigan claimed the definitive version of Frank’s diary, which includes passages left out of the original 1947 edition, is too graphic for young students. The mother felt Anne’s description of her developing body was “pornographic.” Fortunately, the school district rejected the challenge.

Anne Frank’s diary is considered one of the most influential, historical documentations of The Holocaust, which is exactly what Ann hoped to accomplish when she rewrote her diary with the intention of publishing it when the war was over. Anne wanted to “go on living, even after her death” and she has. Hatred and ignorance extinguished her life, but despite continued oppression, her voice is louder than ever.

]]>Hispanic Heritage Monthhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401561&blogid=1766
I am a huge fan of the award winning author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh . In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month I submit these two excellent picks by this author.
The Princess and the Warrior is a re-telling of one of Mexico’s most cherished legends. It is the story of unlikely love between a princess and ]]>AngelinaR2016-09-27T12:59:03ZI am a huge fan of the award winning author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month I submit these two excellent picks by this author.

The Princess and the Warrior is a re-telling of one of Mexico’s most cherished legends. It is the story of unlikely love between a princess and a lowly warrior. The king issues a challenge to the brave warrior: defeat their enemy Jaguar Claw. Will they end up together? Find out.

My other pick is Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras. This is the history of the Day of the Dead Calaveras. Calaveras are those skeletons dressed as ladies called Catrinas, and other characters that you see around the time of the Day of the Dead. The library will be hosting programs for the Day of the Dead at many locations. Check our LINK.

If you’re interested in a jump start on the history of the artist Jose Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913) who made the skeleton images an indelible part of these celebrations, you’ll enjoy this book.

]]>Where Am I Now?http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401560&blogid=1766
You may remember Mara Wilson as Robin William’s youngest daughter in Mrs. Doubtfire or as Nikki Petrova on Melrose Place , but she’s most widely known for her wonderful performance as Matilda in the 1996 movie adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel . She left Hollywood when she was a teenager to pursue her true love—s]]>CaitlinH2016-09-27T12:44:55ZMrs. Doubtfire or as Nikki Petrova on Melrose Place, but she’s most widely known for her wonderful performance as Matilda in the 1996 movie adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel. She left Hollywood when she was a teenager to pursue her true love—storytelling—and study at NYU. Her first book, a memoir called Where Am I Now? True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame, is a smart, funny take on her experiences going from an odd child to a well-adjusted adult. I imagine a grownup Matilda would love to read this.]]>Boy Meets Boy Meets Bans?!?http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401557&blogid=1766
One of the proudest moments in my career happened when we invited author David Levithan to Kalamazoo. The program was not only going to feature the future Margaret A. Edwards Award winning author , but KPL was also going to give out books to teens featuring LGBTQ characters. The excitement for Levithan's visit soon]]>Kevin King2016-09-27T11:00:07ZOne of the proudest moments in my career happened when we invited author David Levithan to Kalamazoo. The program was not only going to feature the future Margaret A. Edwards Award winning author, but KPL was also going to give out books to teens featuring LGBTQ characters. The excitement for Levithan's visit soon turned sour when we learned that some people in the community were not happy with the program. The primary objection was that the main character in Levithan's novel Bot Meets Boy, expressed that he knew he was gay in kindergarten. Paul's ability to self-identify at an early age was not something you read about too often in books for teens in 2003. In fact when first published, Boy Meets Boy sparked a revolution in LGBTQ literature for teens. Here was a book that at its core is love story featuring two teens, dealing with teen problems, who happen to be gay. Levithan does address one character's battle with his super conservative parents and how people react to the school's transgendered quarterback/Homecoming Queen, but in the end Boy Meets Boy is about love.

As the day of David's visit got closer, we learned of a protest outside of the library. The local news stations started to call asking for interviews. The staff planned for every possible response from the public that day. When it was time for Levithan's talk to begin, I was proud to see a full house (with people even in the hall) of excited advocates and lovers of literature. Outside I found less than ten protesting. Love won and prevented fear from keeping the message of Boy Meets Boy away from those who need it the most. Celebrate Banned Books Week by reading anything by David Levithan, one of the most challenged and banned authors in the past 13 years.

]]>The Upside Down Boy - El niño de cabezahttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401551&blogid=1766
In The Upside Down Boy - El niño de cabeza , United States Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera tells the story, in verse, of a pivotal time in his childhood when his mother and father moved their family to the city so that he could attend school. He tells the story of how his third grade teacher, Mrs. Sampson, invite]]>BillC2016-09-27T10:07:21ZIn The Upside Down Boy - El niño de cabeza, United States Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera tells the story, in verse, of a pivotal time in his childhood when his mother and father moved their family to the city so that he could attend school. He tells the story of how his third grade teacher, Mrs. Sampson, invited him to the front of the class to sing a song. He sang “Three Blind Mice” and Mrs. Sampson told him “You have a very beautiful voice”. The book is dedicated to Mrs. Lucille Sampson, Herrera’s third grade teacher, who, at age 95, was present at the Library of Congress when Herrera was inaugurated as the United States Poet Laureate in 2015. You can hear Herrera tell this story in front of an audience at the Kansas City Public Library on New Letters On the Air.
Juan Felipe Herrera’s Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes is a Pura Belpré author honor book.]]>Empathyhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401522&blogid=1766
Leslie Jamison’s book of essays, The Empathy Exams , begins with her experience working as a medical actor. What is a medical actor? I had the same question. It is an actor that is given a profile of someone with a particular ailment and symptoms and personality. Then they will have a mock appointment with a me]]>Steve S2016-09-22T13:41:38ZLeslie Jamison’s book of essays, The Empathy Exams, begins with her experience working as a medical actor. What is a medical actor? I had the same question. It is an actor that is given a profile of someone with a particular ailment and symptoms and personality. Then they will have a mock appointment with a medical student so the student can practice diagnosing the illness. However, they aren’t just practicing the clinical part, but the social skills part; the ability to empathize with their patient and create a relationship where the patient would be willing to talk freely about their illness.

Can you practice empathy? Can you practice empathy when you know the person is just acting?

These are some of the questions she explores in the first essay. After that, the most difficult ultramarathon race, a prison in West Virginia, mines in Bolivia, and a tour of South Central Los Angeles are just a few of the places she will take you on her nuanced and moving dissection of empathy.

]]>B.U.G. (Big Ugly Guy)http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401505&blogid=1766
While working in the chapter books collection of the Children’s Room, B.U.G (Big Ugly Guy) , a middle grade chapter book by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple, caught my attention. Sammy Greenburg gets bullied (a lot) because he stands up for other kids. When a new 6th grader, John “Skink” Skinner, comes to Sammy's aid, t]]>BillC2016-09-20T10:52:48ZWhile working in the chapter books collection of the Children’s Room, B.U.G (Big Ugly Guy), a middle grade chapter book by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple, caught my attention. Sammy Greenburg gets bullied (a lot) because he stands up for other kids. When a new 6th grader, John “Skink” Skinner, comes to Sammy's aid, they are fast friends - in part because both are musicians and they both love words. Sammy plays clarinet and Skink plays guitar. Sammy introduces his friend to klezmer music and they aspire to start a band with their friend Julia on violin. The plot thickens when Sammy decides to make a golem, the mythical, hulking, protecting colossus of Jewish folklore, out of his father’s pottery clay. And, of course, that’s how they get a drummer for their nascent klez/punk band. It’s pretty cool to find a middle-grade novel with references to The Klezmatics and even a brief explication of some klez scale patterns. There are inevitable problems when building your own golem to vanquish school yard bullies. You’ll have to read the book to find out how it ends.

]]>How to Set a Fire and Whyhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401504&blogid=1766
Jesse Ball writes the kind of novels that, while amazing and among my favorites, are often difficult to recommend to a lot of people. Not because they are of sub-par literary quality in any way, but because they are often experimental, hypnotic and seem intent on confounding the reader. Recommending a few of his titl]]>mykyl2016-09-20T10:50:30ZJesse Ball writes the kind of novels that, while amazing and among my favorites, are often difficult to recommend to a lot of people. Not because they are of sub-par literary quality in any way, but because they are often experimental, hypnotic and seem intent on confounding the reader. Recommending a few of his titles to friends and family has made it clear that Ball really isn’t everyone’s “cup of tea”. But that may change with his latest effort How to Set a Fire and Why. The book is a fair bit more accessible than his previous titles, but it is the narrative voice that Ball uses to give life to the books narrator Lucia that makes it a read that I feel more people would and should enjoy. Lucia is a high school aged, sharp-tongued straight talker very much in the tradition of Holden Caulfield. But Lucia is also a wannabe arsonist and potentially a real danger to society, yet her sense of humor and intelligence makes her immediately likable. Plus she spells out and follows a strict ethical code of her own design. Her circumstances are beyond tragic, but the boldness of Lucia’s wit and the power of her individuality ultimately assure you that despite the sad truth of her life, Lucia will survive. You may not go on to read more of Jesse Ball’s work, and that’s ok, but once you get to know Lucia you won't soon forget her and you won't put this book down.]]>Known and Strange Thingshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401498&blogid=1766
My favorite writers are those whose writings tend to defy rigid categories. I’m interested in voices whose passionate minds are rich with curiosity and whose texts feel less like someone rooted to certainties and more like an interrogation of social reality as a shifting terrain of beliefs butting up against power dyn]]>RyanG2016-09-20T09:31:55ZTeju Cole is my kind of writer and the kind thinker that our times require in order to make sense (or at the very least question) of complex issues. And in this book of 50 essays, he pulls it off with a beautiful prose that is inviting and accessible. His newest book Known and Strange Things: Essays is a wildly perceptive book that packs a punch even though it resists feeling ‘ideological’ or like someone shouting truths at you. From his interest in photography to James Baldwin’s experiences in Switzerland, to his love of literature to his various travels around the world, Cole’s erudite voice is that of someone whose sparkling mind finds immense joy in the world’s fertile landscape of ideas and culture.]]>Unveiling The Cloud Forest Dwelling Olinguitohttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401481&blogid=1766
Olinguito, from A to Z! by Lulu Delacre is an award winning alphabet book written in both Spanish and English. It takes the reader on a journey accompanying an intrepid zoologist searching out the elusive olinguito. An olinguito is a mammal recently discovered to be a separate species. Related to the raccoon, olinguit]]>TeresaM-R2016-09-16T10:52:54ZOlinguito, from A to Z! by Lulu Delacre is an award winning alphabet book written in both Spanish and English. It takes the reader on a journey accompanying an intrepid zoologist searching out the elusive olinguito. An olinguito is a mammal recently discovered to be a separate species. Related to the raccoon, olinguitos live exclusively in the cloud forests of Ecuador.

This beautifully illustrated volume features the many plants and animals who call the cloud forest their home. It also includes the author's notes about the real discovery of the olinguito, as well as additional information about the cloud forest, how the illustrations came to be, on being an explorer, and a glossary of the various cloud forest plants and animals(with their Spanish pronunciations).As an added bonus, there is a built-in puzzle/game that will have younger readers going back to play more than once.

Very creative and truly Magnifico!

]]>Henna Househttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401475&blogid=1766
A few of my fellow KPL librarians decided to try a Reading Challenge this year just for the fun of it. &#160;There are a ton of challenges out there but this is the one we’ve been using. &#160;&#160;It’s been a great experience since it’s given us a chance to discover good books we otherwise would have avoided]]>CatherineLewis2016-09-15T12:04:35ZA few of my fellow KPL librarians decided to try a Reading Challenge this year just for the fun of it. There are a ton of challenges out there butthis is the one we’ve been using. It’s been a great experience since it’s given us a chance to discover good books we otherwise would have avoided. I was nervous about “The First Book You See in a Bookstore” challenge but the book I first laid eyes on has turned out to be one of the best books I’ve read this year. Nomi Eve’s Henna House may have been on that bookstore’s bargain cart, but it was a hidden gem.

The book follows the life of young Adela as she grows up in 1920s Yemen. Her family is Jewish and her father’s health is failing. If she is orphaned, she risks being taken by the Confiscator who will place her with a Muslim family, forcing her to give up her religion and her family ties. Her parents desperately try to arrange a marriage for her, which would save her from the Confiscator’s grip, but misfortune keeps following poor Adela. Despite her situation looking hopeless, she finds solace and acceptance in her aunt’s house where she learns the tradition of henna and develops a close friendship with her cousin, Hani.

Reading this book was a delight since it was easy to get swept away in Adela’s storytelling. It’s as if she is taking her life story and turning it into a beautiful henna that weaves in all her joys and sorrow. You also learn a lot about the traditions and history of the Yemenite Jewish population pre-World War II; it’s eye opening to see how their lives were affected even before the war began. I’m grateful that my 2016 Reading Challenge allowed me to stumble across a great book that I otherwise may not have noticed. This is why I’m challenging you- the next time you stop into KPL and pick up your copy of Henna House, also check out the first book you see in the library. You may be surprised at what you find!]]>Inequality in these United Stateshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401474&blogid=1766
I did not read this book. But you should. Really, try it. I couldn’t read it. I can only tolerate a certain amount of charts, graphs, statistics, and facts upon facts. I’m exaggerating. Actually, my complete lack of knowledge and interest about the economy, and how it works, was a major roadblock for me. I simply didn]]>MattS2016-09-15T09:06:51ZI couldn’t read it. I can only tolerate a certain amount of charts, graphs, statistics, and facts upon facts. I’m exaggerating. Actually, my complete lack of knowledge and interest about the economy, and how it works, was a major roadblock for me. I simply didn’t have an entry point. Also, it's quite academic.

The book traces the history of inequality in America from the very beginning—when we were drinking the King’s tea—to now. When was it best? (hint: not now). When was it worse? (hint: now). It’s a story that ebbs and flows and, most importantly, it’s a story about policies and how those policies limit or expand inequality. In other words, this is not art, witchcraft, or guessing: policies have predictable results, and politicians should be clever enough to know those results. At the end of the book, the author’s try to make policy suggestions. The two that I remember were investing in education and having an “inheritance tax” (that is, taxing wealth that is passed on and inherited…yeah, that's right; it’s un-American, darn it! Pull yourself up by your own bookstraps!).

If you read books about the economy, and are interested in this social justice issue, you will enjoy this well researched book.]]>Worms For Breakfast: How to Feed A Zoohttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401472&blogid=1766
What did you have for breakfast this morning? What is usually on your breakfast menu? I bet you are not having dried ants to taste, ¾ pound small oily fish or 1 teaspoon ground cuttlefish bone. But a gorilla will have the ants, a flamingo chick will have the oily fish and a snail will have the cuttlefish bone mixe]]>nancyds2016-09-14T14:02:34ZWhat did you have for breakfast this morning? What is usually on your breakfast menu? I bet you are not having dried ants to taste, ¾ pound small oily fish or 1 teaspoon ground cuttlefish bone. But a gorilla will have the ants, a flamingo chick will have the oily fish and a snail will have the cuttlefish bone mixed in his snail trail mix. If this sounds interesting, then you will want to read Worms For Breakfast: How to Feed A Zoo. It is full of information and recipes for feeding all the zoo animals. Feeding time at the zoo is always one of the most popular events and this book is a cookbook for the animals. There are recipes for Predator Popsicles, Presto Pesto Sauce – Koala Style and Elephant-slimming Fruit Fandango. Worms For Breakfast is packed with facts about animal nutrition and feeding them. It also includes how the animals hunt and eat in the wild and how the zoo feeds them so they feel as though they are in the wild hunting for their own food.

The author answers questions about what and how much each animal eats, who cooks and serves the food (a zoo nutritionist) and what does the grocery shopping list look like. There is so much fun information in this book. The photographs and illustrations will keep families busy reading and looking at this book over and over again.

This book really is fun – oh by the way I had an English muffin with peanut butter for breakfast today – hold the ants!

]]>Ada Twist, Scientisthttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401455&blogid=1766
You can never go wrong with a children's book that rhymes. &#160;You can go far with a children's book that promotes STEM. &#160; Ada Twist, Scientist is the newest creation by the authors of Rosie Revere, Engineer and Iggy Peck, Architect . &#160;A must read for inspiring the young and encouraging the curious mi]]>KalaL2016-09-12T16:06:59ZAda Twist, Scientist is the newest creation by the authors of Rosie Revere, Engineer and Iggy Peck, Architect. A must read for inspiring the young and encouraging the curious mind.]]>Grandparents Dayhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401454&blogid=1766
Yesterday was National Grandparents Day , but these picture books featuring stories about kids and their grandparents are great to share all year long. Hot, Hot Roti for Dada-ji My Abuelita A Morning With Grandpa North Woods Girl Last Stop on Market Street Mango, Abuela, and Me ]]>AngelaF2016-09-12T14:53:38ZNational Grandparents Day, but these picture books featuring stories about kids and their grandparents are great to share all year long.

Mango, Abuela, and Me]]>A Different Kind of Graphic Novelhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401449&blogid=1766
Let’s talk about Here , a fascinating book by Richard
McGuire. Classified as a graphic novel, it’s less of a comic book, and more of
a subject study as the entire book never leaves the living room of McGuire’s
childhood home. The book travels backward and forward in time, exposing
ordinary events that happened in]]>MilanH2016-09-09T17:24:50ZLet’s talk about Here, a fascinating book by Richard
McGuire. Classified as a graphic novel, it’s less of a comic book, and more of
a subject study as the entire book never leaves the living room of McGuire’s
childhood home. The book travels backward and forward in time, exposing
ordinary events that happened in that very spot, almost like players wandering
on and off the stage.

Things get interesting however, when little windows start to
appear on the page. A woman in 1957 stops to try and remember why she walked
into the room while a cat from the year 1999 saunters through. A baseball that
crashes through the window in 1983 has no impact on the man trying to tie his
shoe in 1991. The room begins to get crowded as people from the distant past,
present, and future all begin to appear in these trans-temporal windows. As if something about the ordinary-seeming space has unraveled the space time continuum.

It’s a fun, and thought provoking book. After reading it, you can’t help but think about the people who stood where you are years before, and who will be here years after you’re gone.

]]>Plastic, Ahoy!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401434&blogid=1766
Last night, I took home a new children's book to read called Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch . The book is by Patricia Newman, with photographs by Annie Crawley. Right away, I flipped through the book looking for an aerial photo of some huge sea of garbage in the greater sea of...ocean. B]]>ElyseM2016-09-08T12:58:26ZLast night, I took home a new children's book to read called Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The book is by Patricia Newman, with photographs by Annie Crawley. Right away, I flipped through the book looking for an aerial photo of some huge sea of garbage in the greater sea of...ocean. But there was none. The plastic waste that winds up in the ocean, funneled in by rivers and lakes, swept in from beaches, and blown in by the wind, breaks down into small pieces due to exposure to water and sunlight. Although the garbage shrinks, the problems it causes do not. The book introduces a team of scientists, each with her own hypothesis about the environmental affects of these plastic bits on ocean life. They conduct experiments to try to either verify or disprove their hypotheses, and often, other questions pop up along the way. I liked this book because it discusses concepts such as the scientific theory, food chain, gyres, microorganisms, and chemical leakage and absorption, in addition to other topics, in simple language that kids can easily understand (and adults who haven't taken a science class in a long time). And of course, the authors offer some measures that we can take to reduce our own impact. One that I like, which I had not heard before, is to bring your own reusable container to restaurants to take your leftovers home in. It is interesting and inspiring to follow this scientific adventure, and to learn about the people and organizations that are working to address the issues marine life faces due to human irresponsibility.]]>Hidden Figureshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401431&blogid=1766
If you liked Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, From Missiles to the Moon to Mars or We Could Not Fail: The First African Americans in the Space Program , place a hold on the new book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win th]]>AngelaF2016-09-08T12:01:06ZIf you liked Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, From Missiles to the Moon to Mars or We Could Not Fail: The First African Americans in the Space Program, place a hold on the new book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race. The book is already being adapted for the big screen, starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae.

]]>Meet Michael Eric Dysonhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401422&blogid=1766
Michael Eric Dyson is one of the rock stars and public intellectuals of our time, a deep thinker on issues that face African Americans in America. He is a protégé of another African American giant, Cornel West and, like Aristotle ditched Plato, the two have sort of parted ways on certain ways of thinking. This book, a ]]>MattS2016-09-06T11:57:03ZThe Urbanism of Frank Lloyd Wrighthttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401413&blogid=1766
With 446 pages printed on high-quality paper, this 2016 book is a prime example of the proverbial hefty tome, which can be perceived as a metaphor for its great content. This book is put forward as being the first one devoted to exploring Frank Lloyd Wright's designs for remaking the modern city. Contrary to most publi]]>David D.2016-09-01T17:58:11Z]]>Textbookhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401402&blogid=1766
This book was recommended to me by Ruth Wilson, from Local History. She said something like, “I don’t know why, but I feel like you would enjoy this book.” Well, I read it, liked it, and now I’m recommending it to you! The concept of the book is a little unique. Throughout the book, the author invites you to text res]]>AmyAH2016-09-01T15:45:42ZThe concept of the book is a little unique. Throughout the book, the author invites you to text responses to various questions. For instance, at one point she asks the reader to look up and see if there is a rainbow in the sky. Do you see a rainbow? Submit a picture!

Besides the interactive bits, this book is a great collection of life observations, focusing on the joy of everyday life and human connections, but also acknowledging the profound sadness of the brevity of life.

More information on the book, and to access to the accompanying content go to this website. But check this book out soon! According to the introduction “The texting component is limited by geography, volume, and the passage of time.”]]>The Beeshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401399&blogid=1766
In her novel, The Bees , Laline Paull tells the story of the not-so-secret life of an actual bee, in the vein of the rabbits of Watership Down .
Based on the science of bee biology and behavior, the book looks at one bee as an individual--and so, daringly, does the character herself. Flora 717 is a worker bee]]>KitA2016-09-01T13:44:13ZIn her novel, The Bees, Laline Paull tells the story of the not-so-secret life of an actual bee, in the vein of the rabbits of Watership Down.

Based on the science of bee biology and behavior, the book looks at one bee as an individual--and so, daringly, does the character herself. Flora 717 is a worker bee but is physically different from others--a likely death sentence in the hive’s totalitarian society. But through a chance encounter, one of the “priestesses” who run the hive spares her, and Flora is afforded opportunities not normally available to her “kin” (all Floras are lowly sanitation workers).

It isn’t clear whether her curiosity is another innate difference or is brought about her experiences, but one after another, Flora is allowed to perform many of the different roles of the hive. Her strength and intelligence contribute to her success, and she comes to the hive’s rescue in various crises.

Flora is not universally appreciated, however. The Sage priestesses in particular see her as a threat to their dominance, and she becomes a fugitive when she breaks the hive’s cardinal commandment through an involuntary action (based on a true natural phenomenon that occurs in one in 10,000 worker bees, according to an interview with Paull).

As in Watership Down, animals (and even plants) are personified without being entirely anthropomorphized. The Bees is a mix of reality and imagination: bees express human thoughts and emotions but communicate primarily through scent and vibration; they not only serve the queen but consider her fertility sacred and worship her in ceremonies of "devotion"; and the male drones are lesser characters in the operation of the hive but also provide comic relief through their self-important and bawdy conduct.

The Bees is a font of fascinating information about these social insects and also calls attention to the environmental threats to their survival, but it is also just a good read. Flora’s story is one that would be compelling regardless of her species, and it certainly made me think about bees differently!

]]>How Science Really Workshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401393&blogid=1766
We’ve all heard the story of how science is supposed to work. Science observes things, and records things, and collects facts about the world. Then, these facts magically and beautiful converge into laws, patterns, generalizations. And these converge into beautiful theories about the universe. And knowledge builds on i]]>MattS2016-09-01T08:22:57ZWell, not really, not exactly. Luckily, the history of science is more interesting than that. Sometimes science works in fits and starts, breakthroughs and massive blunders; or, as the philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn would say, science is the opposite of gradual and incremental. Rather, science is the toppling of old paradigms with completely new ones.

This book focuses on the stories of four great scientists and their magnificent failures. Good read.]]>An Ode to Girl Power!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401390&blogid=1766
Keep Climbing, Girls was written by Beah Richards, the great actress. In LisaGay Hamilton’s introduction of the book she refers to Beah Richards as an actress, a poet, a dancer, and a political activist. Miss Hamilton mentions a collection of poems that Beah Richards had published entitled A Black Woman Speaks , wh]]>JudiR2016-08-31T22:17:22ZKeep Climbing, Girls was written by Beah Richards, the great actress. In LisaGay Hamilton’s introduction of the book she refers to Beah Richards as an actress, a poet, a dancer, and a political activist. Miss Hamilton mentions a collection of poems that Beah Richards had published entitled A Black Woman Speaks, where Beah encourages us all to reach far beyond society’s expectations and to fight for a world that embraces freedom and equality for all.

“The moral of this story is: to keep climbing, girls, and let no one prevent you.”

]]>Rosalie Lightninghttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401389&blogid=1766
In November of 2011, Eisner award-nominated cartoonist Tom Hart's almost two-year-old daughter Rosalie died unexpectedly in her sleep and forever changed the lives of Hart and his wife, cartoonist Leela Corman. Rosalie Lightning is Hart's attempts to put together the pieces of what happened before and after that horrif]]>Stewart F.2016-08-31T19:56:38ZBullseye - A Michael Bennet Thrillerhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401388&blogid=1766
James Patterson is a prolific writer mostly as he doesn’t write them just by himself he is partnered with several different authors. For the Michael Bennett thriller series he has partnered with Michael Ledwidge. I like the Michael Bennett series he is a father with 12 children, his wife passed away a long time ago. Lo]]>Gary2016-08-31T17:28:50ZIn this book Bullseye there is an assassin who was trying to kill the president. There was word that there would be an attempt to assassinate the president. So Michael Bennett as part of NYPD gets teamed up with a sniper and is in a helicopter over New York City acting as a spotter. Of course it’s the beginning of the book so Michael sees the assassin and foils the attempt but the assassin escapes. The rest of the book is them trying to find the assassin before he can try again. It kept my attention that’s how I judge a good book. Check it out at KPL.

]]>Say Goodbye to Dietlandhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401386&blogid=1766
Plum Kettle is fat, and she doesn’t want to be. She spends her days in solitude, dreaming of the day she’ll be thin after her scheduled bariatric surgery and buying clothes for her future thin self—that’s when she’ll be happy and finally start living the life she wants. But there would be no story here if that’s what]]>CaitlinH2016-08-30T15:05:13ZDietland as “part coming-of-age story, part revenge fantasy,” is which absolutely a great description of this darkly funny, feminist novel.]]>Teens’ Top 10http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401381&blogid=1766
There are so many wonderful titles on YALSA’s Teens’ Top 10 2016 List . My personal favorite is Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon and there are so many other great titles on the list. We have all of these titles at every library location. You can vote for your favorite at this link until the end of October’]]>AndreaV2016-08-30T10:34:51ZThere are so many wonderful titles on YALSA’s Teens’ Top 10 2016 List. My personal favorite is Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon and there are so many other great titles on the list. We have all of these titles at every library location. You can vote for your favorite at this link until the end of October’s Teen Read Week.

Every year, teens across the country nominate titles after reviewing and discussing them in their book groups. The annotated, nomination list is announced each spring. Voting begins to choose the “Top 10” in August 15 and continues through Teen Read Week in October.

KPL is working to establish a teen book group that would receive and write reviews to participate in this initiative. If you are, or know, a teen who would be interested in joining us, please check out our info page and contact me. An interest meeting will be held in early September.

]]>Margaret Atwoodhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401380&blogid=1766
In anticipation of seeing her later this fall in Ann Arbor, I'm trying to catch up on at least part of Margaret Atwood's body of work , starting with The Handmaid's Tale, originally published in 1998. Considered by some as dystopian or fantasy fiction, I had dismissed it before now as something I wouldn't like. Full c]]>KarenT2016-08-30T08:48:14Zbody of work, starting with The Handmaid's Tale, originally published in 1998. Considered by some as dystopian or fantasy fiction, I had dismissed it before now as something I wouldn't like. Full confession: I was wrong. Between the characterizations, the vivid descriptions of the futuristic setting, and her command of the language (oh my the language), I'm hooked! While I look forward to reading other earlier Atwood titles, I also look forward to seeing her new graphic novel(!), Angel Catbird and her upcoming re-telling of Shakespeare's The Tempest, Hag-Seed (coming in October).]]>The Verses we Would Rather Forgethttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401360&blogid=1766
This book is not anti-religion by any means, and it makes great pains to show that Islam stacks up very well against Christianity on the issue of violence, but the book does want to have a serious and detailed conversation about the violent passages that exist in our religious texts, in all major world religions (exce]]>MattS2016-08-26T08:07:53ZThis book is not anti-religion by any means, and it makes great pains to show that Islam stacks up very well against Christianity on the issue of violence, but the book does want to have a serious and detailed conversation about the violent passages that exist in our religious texts, in all major world religions (except Buddhism…I don’t think spends much time on that).

First, what violent verses are we talking about? Second, what are the historical atrocities that have been committed, using interpretations of those very verses as justification? Third, how to we keep that from happening in the future? This is a story about how religion has evolved, and is still evolved, and how interpretation matters, and how learning from the past saves us from future blunders.

For some reason I lost interest in the topic, and only got half-way through the book, but I did enjoy it.

]]>Black People Behind Bars: How Did We Get Here?http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401355&blogid=1766
Check your optimism at the door folks; this is going to be a bumpy ride. I give my whole-hearted recommendation for this book, and I did read the entire thing, with one caveat: it’s quite academic, sometimes dry, many times repetitive, and takes a lot of concentration and time and patience to get through. In other word]]>MattS2016-08-25T13:45:29ZMark Twain once said: “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”

This is not engaging and entertaining writing, and the author takes great pains to take her opinions and personal thoughts out of it. After all, it’s published by Harvard, so it’s meant to be academic. But I felt like the first 100 pages were very repetitive—in other words, it feels like you keep reading the exact same sentence over and over again. However, the content and subject-matter and ambition of the book is essential reading. This book was depressingly fascinating, the research is extensive, the history is meticulous, and the sweeping history of incarcerating young black men is long and hard and consistent. Currently, we live in an era of mass incarceration, which disproportionately has affected young African American men. How’d we get here? This book will take you from beginning to end (wait…beginning to now); she will take you detail by detail, program by program, policy by policy, administration by administration, president by president—without gaps. Elizabeth Hinton will show you that, contrary to popular narrative, the War on Crime was first started by a Democrat, and his name was Lyndon Baines Johnson. The Great Society had an evil twin, and that evil twin spawned ideas, and policies, and legacies that grew into the greatest penal nation in the world.]]>Does the Critic Matter?http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401341&blogid=1766
What is “criticism”, who are “critics” and what sort of social role should they play in determining taste and value judgments are just a couple of the questions that New York Times journalist A.O. Scott attempts to explore in his charming, new book Better Living Through Criticism: how to think about art, pleasure, be]]>RyanG2016-08-24T15:19:46ZBetter Living Through Criticism: how to think about art, pleasure, beauty and truth. Scott’s interest in the topic is certainly personal given his livelihood is based upon the notion that open societies benefit from a profession that functions to analyze, probe, and lay bare deeper truths about our various forms of expression, communication and creativity. Scott's tone is warm and self-reflexive. He understands and in some cases, sympathizes with the anti-intellectual strain of discourse that mocks his profession as elitist or unnecessary nor does he shy away from discussing criticism's inherent flaws and blind spots but he also makes a strong case for its noble role as an exercise in thinking about important matters connected to a democratic and increasingly culturally, complex society.]]>The Excellent Lombardshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401333&blogid=1766
This coming-of-age novel by Jane Hamilton centers on Mary Frances “Frankie” Lombard and her family’s sprawling apple orchard. Her idyllic life on the farm begins to fray in the complexities of family dynamics, love, and loss as the future of the farm becomes increasingly unclear.
Hamilton writes almost a love ]]>AnnR2016-08-23T11:26:37ZThis coming-of-age novel by Jane Hamilton centers on Mary Frances “Frankie” Lombard and her family’s sprawling apple orchard. Her idyllic life on the farm begins to fray in the complexities of family dynamics, love, and loss as the future of the farm becomes increasingly unclear.

Hamilton writes almost a love letter to a threatened way of life. One reviewer says it “takes us back to being a child and believing in one thing wholeheartedly.”

There is much to discuss and appreciate in this novel. It would be a good book group choice.

]]>Missing Brazilhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401316&blogid=1766
Probably, like many of you, I spent a lot of time watching the Olympics over the past two weeks. Because of all the commercial breaks, I also got time to read. I reviewed my books-to-read list and discovered that there was not just one, but two books about Brazil. Crossing the River: a Life in Brazil by Amy Rag]]>Steve S2016-08-22T16:43:59ZProbably, like many of you, I spent a lot of time watching the Olympics over the past two weeks. Because of all the commercial breaks, I also got time to read. I reviewed my books-to-read list and discovered that there was not just one, but two books about Brazil.

I went with Amy Ragsdale’s story about her family’s year in Penedo, a small town in northeastern Brazil. Her father passed along to her the value of travel and experiencing other cultures. This was something she wanted to pass on to her children and she wanted to escape her fast-paced life in the United States.

If the Olympics gave you a little taste of Brazil and you want more, settle down with Ragsdale’s book and see how Brazilian culture transforms her family.]]>One Child: The Story of China’s Most Radical Experimenthttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401299&blogid=1766
&#160;In 1980, the
Chinese Government enacted a one child policy, mandating that each family could
only have one child in hopes of curbing the rapid population growth of the
country. This controversial policy was put into place to avoid facing another
disaster like the Great Chinese Famine from 1959-1961 that kill]]>MilanH2016-08-19T11:54:14Z In 1980, the
Chinese Government enacted a one child policy, mandating that each family could
only have one child in hopes of curbing the rapid population growth of the
country. This controversial policy was put into place to avoid facing another
disaster like the Great Chinese Famine from 1959-1961 that killed an estimated
15 to 30 million people.

However,
there were unintended consequences. At the beginning of this year the one child
policy was lifted, but millions of families are still have to live with the unique
challenges it caused, such as the gender imbalance caused by widespread
infanticide, and millions of unauthorized second children who live
unacknowledged by the state, unable to attend school, or even get a library
card.

In OneChild: The Story of China’s Most Radical Experiment, Mei Fong explores the
aftermath of this policy through well researched analysis, and by following
families to capture the repercussions through a more personal lens. This book
is a really fascinating, eye-opening read. I definitely recommend it.

]]>I Am Princess Xhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401296&blogid=1766
In fifth grade May and Libby created Princess X together. For years after the two continued the story of the princess in the purple dress and red chucks who wields a katana. That is, until Libby and her mom drive off a bridge on a rainy night. Three years later, lonely May discovers a sticker of Princess X on a shop wi]]>KirstenJ2016-08-19T09:16:41ZThis clever murder mystery trails May on her quest to find out what exactly happened the night that Libby and her mom died, and to find Libby if she did indeed survive. Fans of webcomics, suspense, and puzzles will love this book! I sure did!]]>Under the Big Black Sunhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401292&blogid=1766
In 1981, my family flew to Hermosa Beach, California to visit my Aunt Sally and enjoy the California sun. I was a 13 year old Middle School student, had never been outside of the Midwest, and my idea of California was all about Hollywood movies and a 1950’s idea of beach/surfing culture. Walking around the sleepy beac]]>mykyl2016-08-18T16:09:47ZIn 1981, my family flew to Hermosa Beach, California to visit my Aunt Sally and enjoy the California sun. I was a 13 year old Middle School student, had never been outside of the Midwest, and my idea of California was all about Hollywood movies and a 1950’s idea of beach/surfing culture. Walking around the sleepy beach town that first day opened my eyes to the dark menace that was the early 80’s punk rock scene in and around LA, including sleepy Hermosa Beach. That brief glimpse, and the cassettes that I purchased during that trip, changed the trajectory of the remainder of my youth and ultimately influenced my view of the world. Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk provides the real story behind what I glimpsed when I was 13. Told through chapter-length tales from some of the scenesters that survived that dangerous and nihilistic time, Under the Big Black Sun is a vibrant front-row seat into a legendary scene the likes of which we aren’t likely to see again.]]>Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumnhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401290&blogid=1766
As a child walks through her town, she greets the summer morning, the big orange sun, the walking sticks and butterflies . . . “Hello, chill in the air.” And they
reply to her; “Hello, it’s time to bring out your thick sweaters and scarves.”
Simple, thoughtful text is matched with lovely illustrations with many s]]>Susan2016-08-18T15:40:01ZAs a child walks through her town, she greets the summer morning, the big orange sun, the walking sticks and butterflies . . . “Hello, chill in the air.” And they
reply to her; “Hello, it’s time to bring out your thick sweaters and scarves.”

Simple, thoughtful text is matched with lovely illustrations with many small details to catch the eye of the youngest listener. Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn is a beautiful picture book about the changing season.

]]>Sewers and the Rats That Love Themhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401286&blogid=1766
There are some kids out there who ask why the sky is blue, what stars are made of, and if magic is real. Then there are kids who ask where the stuff in the toilet goes after you flush. And some adults wonder too. Or maybe I’m the only one.
Anyway, I stumbled across Sewers and the Rats That Love Them , by Kelly Bar]]>ElyseM2016-08-18T11:42:43ZThere are some kids out there who ask why the sky is blue, what stars are made of, and if magic is real. Then there are kids who ask where the stuff in the toilet goes after you flush. And some adults wonder too. Or maybe I’m the only one.

Anyway, I stumbled across Sewers and the Rats That Love Them, by Kelly Barnhill, after reading The Mostly True Story of Jack and searching Barnhill in the catalog to see what else she has written. I was delighted to discover this book of gross and learned from its 28 pages of sanitation information facts about the history of waste removal, the steps of wastewater treatment, and why sewers make terrific homes for rats. I thought the book was really cool and it made me grateful for indoor plumbing, which is probably my favorite modern invention. Indulge your kids’ or your own curiosity with this interesting book, and maybe look into Barnhill’s other peculiar nonfiction titles, such as Sick, Nasty Medical Practices, The Bloody Book of Blood, and Animals with No Eyes, among others. I won’t even think you’re that weird.

]]>Twenty Yawnshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401260&blogid=1766
I’ve been reading Jane Smiley’s Twenty Yawns at storytime lately because I really like it. I think it’s one of the best summer themed bedtime books. A child spends the day at the beach with her parents. Later on, at bedtime, mom falls asleep while reading a bedtime story. She sees the pictures she has drawn on h]]>BillC2016-08-13T11:20:52ZI’ve been reading Jane Smiley’s Twenty Yawns at storytime lately because I really like it. I think it’s one of the best summer themed bedtime books. A child spends the day at the beach with her parents. Later on, at bedtime, mom falls asleep while reading a bedtime story. She sees the pictures she has drawn on her wall looking at her, but it’s not scary. Lucy goes to find her bear, Molasses, and brings all the stuffed animals back to her bed where she tucks them in. Then all the pictures yawn. The stuffed animals yawn and so does Lucy. They fall asleep.

]]>ANIMAL MOVEMENT AND PLAYhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401236&blogid=1766
Julie Paschkis, the author/illustrator of “Flutter &amp; Hum: Animal Poems”, is a painter who has won awards for her artwork accompanying other picture books. Here, her illustrations depict folk art patterns that are both colorful and vivid; the perfect complement to the simple yet reflective poems. The poems appear i]]>TeresaM-R2016-08-11T13:27:25ZJulie Paschkis, the author/illustrator of “Flutter & Hum: Animal Poems”, is a painter who has won awards for her artwork accompanying other picture books. Here, her illustrations depict folk art patterns that are both colorful and vivid; the perfect complement to the simple yet reflective poems. The poems appear in English on one page, and in Spanish on the opposite page. Despite her considerable abilities in constructing beautiful verse, she states that she is not a poet per se, nor a native Spanish speaker for that matter.Nonetheless, this slim volume depicts wonderfully all sorts of animals in motion- fluttering, slithering,leaping,stretching and the like.

A beautifully illustrated poetry book that is both fun and playful. Be prepared for young readers wanting to reread this many times over!

]]>Required Readinghttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401227&blogid=1766
Toni Morrison said it best: this book is required reading.
In college I'll never forget reading one of the greatest works of African American literature ever to be put on paper: Invisible Man , by Ralph Ellison. For a white person first understanding what it's like to be black in America, this was a powerful exper]]>MattS2016-08-09T12:30:40ZToni Morrison said it best: this book is required reading.

In college I'll never forget reading one of the greatest works of African American literature ever to be put on paper: Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison. For a white person first understanding what it's like to be black in America, this was a powerful experience for me. I was finding my way into an empathetic and complex understanding of the greatest tragedies in America. I distinctly remember the end of the book (or was it the beginning?): the narrator sitting in a basement room, with many lights, and books, and jazz and whiskey, plotting his reemergence into the great white world.

Now, many books and years later, Between the World and Me reawakens me. This book had the same effect on me as Invisible Man and There Eyes Were Watching God and The New Jim Crow, probably greater. The weight of the words and sentences has a physical effect on the body, a sad truth that slowly settles and creeps in. It's personal. He makes it personal. Every single word and sentence of this little book was chosen carefully for maximum effect and truth.

Another fascinating theme of this book is its atheistic, materialistic, physical outlook on the issue of racism in America. He says it as plain and real and physical as possible, and he says it many times: racism is the destruction of the black body.

]]>The Long and Winding Roadhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401210&blogid=1766
Here’s a new one that’s really fun to look at. It was for me, anyway, since I was around when the Beatles first started singing and I am familiar with the vast majority of the songs included. This book has all the lyrics the Beatles wrote, and according to its cover, author Steve Turner “has tracked down and interview]]>David D.2016-08-04T18:41:32ZHere’s a new one that’s really fun to look at. It was for me, anyway, since I was around when the Beatles first started singing and I am familiar with the vast majority of the songs included. This book has all the lyrics the Beatles wrote, and according to its cover, author Steve Turner “has tracked down and interviewed the real-life subjects of the songs, probed public records and newspaper archives and spoken in depth to the people closest to the band, making this the most comprehensive exploration of the stories behind every Beatles song.” I always liked “Eight Days a Week,” but page 91 says that John Lennon thought it was “lousy,” and that they struggled to write it as well as record it. This year another of my favorites has special significance -- “Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I'm (you fill in the number here).”

]]>While you wait for The Underground Railroad...http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401203&blogid=1766
Colson Whitehead’s newest novel, The Underground Railroad , was slated to be published next month. But yesterday, in a surprise announcement, Oprah Winfrey named the novel her latest book club selection and the book is actually available for purchase now.
KPL has the book on-order and you can place a hold us]]>AngelaF2016-08-03T15:58:41ZColson Whitehead’s newest novel, The Underground Railroad, was slated to be published next month. But yesterday, in a surprise announcement, Oprah Winfrey named the novel her latest book club selection and the book is actually available for purchase now.

KPL has the book on-order and you can place a hold using the online catalog. While you wait for your copy to become available, check out some of the following titles; some are new, some older, and some are previous Oprah picks:

]]>Mess!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401199&blogid=1766
After hearing Barry Yourgrau interviewed on NPR Weekend Edition , I was drawn to read Mess: One Man's Struggle to clean up his House and his Act. &#160; Yourgrau’s girlfriend delivered an ultimatum. Basically it was: clean this place (and your life) up, or we are over! Yourgrau loves his girlfriend, and he wanted]]>Christine2016-08-02T12:02:50ZNPR Weekend Edition, I was drawn to read Mess: One Man's Struggle to clean up his House and his Act.

Yourgrau’s girlfriend delivered an ultimatum. Basically it was: clean this place (and your life) up, or we are over! Yourgrau loves his girlfriend, and he wanted the relationship, so he had to figure out how to clean up his mess. He began to research, interviewing many people and reading quite a lot, seeking to understand why people clutter and hoard and how they overcome that issue, if/when they do.

I found most of the book fascinating, though I bristled with discomfort reading the author’s description of a Clutterers Anonymous meeting (p. 43.) It seemed he attended as a voyeur, an ‘objective’ researcher, instead of honestly owning his own issues. I found it unethical that he shared the details of that meeting in his book. Many anonymous 12-Step groups say: “What you see here, what you hear here, when you leave here, let it stay here.” Yourgrau didn’t give real names to any of the speakers, but he shared enough details that if one of those people should read his book, I’d think they would recognize themselves. Not cool, when you’re attending an anonymous meeting! His writing displayed a condescending attitude toward the other people at the meeting. I sensed he was hiding from his feelings about himself and his own clutter by judging the other people around the table.

That said, that experience appears fairly early in the book. Yourgrau’s attitude toward other clutterers seemed to soften as his book progressed, as he learned more about why people clutter and hoard, and as he understood and accepted more about his own issues with said behavior. Ultimately, it was very interesting how the author shared of his personal story/experience, wove it into what he learned about cluttering and hoarding, then would weave what he learned back into his own understanding of himself. All told, I liked the book and I liked Yourgrau.

It’s a shame he didn’t include a bibliography, because the book is packed with references.]]>A John Berry Meachum Storyhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401192&blogid=1766
This fictional
children’s story was inspired by a real event. In Missouri in 1847 a law was
passed that prohibited the education of Blacks, slaves or free. This law was
passed by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri and it stated that: “No
person shall keep a school for the instructions of negroes or mul]]>JudiR2016-07-30T19:57:39ZThis fictional
children’s story was inspired by a real event. In Missouri in 1847 a law was
passed that prohibited the education of Blacks, slaves or free. This law was
passed by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri and it stated that: “No
person shall keep a school for the instructions of negroes or mulattoes,
reading or writing in this state.”

A man named
John Berry Meachum lived from 1789-1854. He had been born a slave and worked to
earn enough money to buy his freedom. In 1826 he became a minister of the first
African American Baptist Church in Missouri. Although, educating blacks was
against the law it was very important to Meachem. Being a very resourceful and
creative person he worked to find ways to defy the unjust law that stated black
people could not be educated within the state. He built a steamboat and used it
in the middle of the Mississippi River as a school for Blacks.

That’s where
the idea for this great story, Steamboat School by Deborah Hopkinson, came
from.

]]>Awake Beautiful Child: an ABC Day in the Lifehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401191&blogid=1766
I love Amy Krouse Rosenthal's way with words and letters and many of her books have become favorites at our house. Awake Beautiful Child &#160; is a wonderful picture book that tells the story of an average day in new creative way. Each phrase uses words that start with A-B-C in alphabetical order. Some of my favorit]]>AndreaV2016-07-29T17:43:09ZAwake Beautiful Child is a wonderful picture book that tells the story of an average day in new creative way. Each phrase uses words that start with A-B-C in alphabetical order. Some of my favorites include, "Above, Birds Chirp", "Afar, Bells Chime", "Afternoon Brings Calm", and "Always Be Curious". We were inspired to create our own stories at home using just words that start with just those 3 letters again and again. The illustrations with Gracia Lam are wonderfully retro, calming, and fun! Find it in our picturebook collection in the JE Concepts Neighborhood.]]>Everything I Never Told Youhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401190&blogid=1766
I am drawn to family dramas and this book is no exception. It follows the Lees, a Chinese-American family in Ohio in the 1970's, immediately after--and leading up to--the tragic drowning of their daughter, Lydia. The multiple points of view in alternating chapters reveal tragic family dynamics and cultural sensitivitie]]>KarenT2016-07-29T17:13:40ZBook Club in a Bag title and can also be checked out in several formats including digital audio and ebook. It was named a "best book of the year" by several sources including NPR, the Huffington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Amazon.]]>The Girl With All the Giftshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401189&blogid=1766
The Girl With All the Gifts is the story of a young girl. Melanie is a genius- bright and full of questions, and curious about the world and her place in it. She loves school and her teacher, Ms. Justineau, and loves the stories and fables Ms. Justineau tells the class every day.
Melanie spends the rest of her ]]>Stewart F.2016-07-29T17:02:39ZThe Girl With All the Gifts is the story of a young girl. Melanie is a genius- bright and full of questions, and curious about the world and her place in it. She loves school and her teacher, Ms. Justineau, and loves the stories and fables Ms. Justineau tells the class every day.

Melanie spends the rest of her day locked in her cell, and is strapped into her chair every morning while the Sergeant and his soldiers hold guns to her head. Her classroom is filled with other kids strapped into chairs like hers. She tells the Sergeant she doesn't need to be strapped in; that she won't bite, but he doesn't think this is a funny joke. It becomes clear very quickly that Melanie, the other kids in her class, and the world they live in, are very, very different... Equally terrifying and moving, The Girl With All the Gifts is a Pandora's box of horror and humanity.

]]>The Misadventures of Max Crumblyhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401186&blogid=1766
Welcome to a brand new series by the author of Dork Diaries. The new series: Misadventures of Max Crumbly is based on Max who is facing the scariest place he’s ever been: South Ridge Middle School.
Max has been homeschooled by his Grandma, a retired kindergarten teacher, and frankly he is tired of animal cr]]>nancyds2016-07-29T09:34:17ZWelcome to a brand new series by the author of Dork Diaries. The new series: Misadventures of Max Crumbly is based on Max who is facing the scariest place he’s ever been: South Ridge Middle School.

Max has been homeschooled by his Grandma, a retired kindergarten teacher, and frankly he is tired of animal crackers and naps. He must make middle school work or it’s back to Grandma’s kindergarten. In Locker Hero, Max runs into some trouble from Thug (Doug) the 8th grade school bully, who takes every opportunity to stuff Max into his locker. Max must become like his favorite comic book hero in order to think and act his way out of his locker at the beginning of a 3 day weekend. There might also be a part with thieves trying to steal the school computers, Max seeing them and then trying to get away. Super hero powers are needed – can Max do it?

Written in the same diary entry format and the same great illustrations, this is sure to be a fun new series which will fly off the shelves. Watch for it to be another bestseller for Rachel Renee Russell.

]]>The father (Made in Sweden series)http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401176&blogid=1766
Check out this new thriller (housed along with our mystery books), based on a true story about Swedish bank robber brothers that rose to lives of crime under their father’s violent rule. The father is written by Anton Svensson, a pseudonym for the writing team of Anders Roslund and Stefan Thunberg, the fourth b]]>KristenL2016-07-28T15:01:54ZCheck out this new thriller (housed along with our mystery books), based on a true story about Swedish bank robber brothers that rose to lives of crime under their father’s violent rule. The father is written by Anton Svensson, a pseudonym for the writing team of Anders Roslund and Stefan Thunberg, the fourth brother who was not involved in the bank robberies. The brothers known as The Military Gang, were responsible for ten daring bank robberies over a period of 2 years in the early 1990s. Thunberg turned to fiction in order to be more honest about what happened within his broken family, but all events in the book are true, with names being changed. This book is a bestseller in Sweden and is being looked at in the US to possibly be made into a movie.

]]>The Value of Quiethttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401167&blogid=1766
True or False? I prefer one-on-one conversations to group activities. I often prefer to express myself in writing. I dislike small talk, but enjoy talking in depth about topics that matter to me. I tend to think before I speak. I often let calls go through to voicemail. I dislike conflict. I'm not a big risk-taker. ]]>AmyAH2016-07-27T16:14:08ZI prefer one-on-one conversations to group activities.I often prefer to express myself in writing.I dislike small talk, but enjoy talking in depth about topics that matter to me.I tend to think before I speak.I often let calls go through to voicemail.I dislike conflict.I'm not a big risk-taker.

If you answered some of these questions "true", then you might be an introvert and you might enjoy this book!

According to the author, Susan Cain, introversion is often mistaken for shyness. Shyness is a fear of social judgement, where introversion is a high sensitivity to stimulation, including social stimulation. Introverts are most comfortable with a quiet, calm environment where we can focus on a small amount of important stimulation. They also need time alone to recharge after periods of high stimulation, such as a party or a after giving a presentation. The books presents research and stories of successful people that highlight the contributions of introverts, both in personal and professional life.

I consider myself an introvert, and I found this book very encouraging. The world needs all kinds of people. We need strong, fearless personalities who will jump right into action or be willing to talk to everyone. But we also need thoughtful, reserved people to balance them out.]]>somethingtofoodabouthttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401157&blogid=1766
Somethingtofoodabout is a testament to what you can do when you reach the upper echelons of pop cultural cool. By all accounts, Questlove (drummer, producer, musical director, NYT bestselling author and culinary bon vivant) has reached the highest heights of hipness and now is basically tenured in the university of ]]>mykyl2016-07-27T10:42:47ZSomethingtofoodabout is a testament to what you can do when you reach the upper echelons of pop cultural cool. By all accounts, Questlove (drummer, producer, musical director, NYT bestselling author and culinary bon vivant) has reached the highest heights of hipness and now is basically tenured in the university of cool and can seemingly do whatever he pleases. Thankfully, Questlove’s celebrity was earned the old-fashioned way, through hard work and talent, as opposed to the "Kardashian" way, and he continuously makes interesting creative choices, including this new book. Instead of creating a celebrity cookbook or turning himself into yet another made-for-tv food impresario, Questlove gives us a book about the creative aspect of high-level cooking, filled with interesting photographs and rich conversations with chefs at the white-hot center of the food world. The book is artistic, unexpected, and casually but totally unapologetically cool. Check it out.

]]>Rise of the Rocket Girlshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401129&blogid=1766
We often think of the women astronauts as breaking gender barriers, but a whole generation of women came before them in the early days of the space program.
Rise of the Rocket Girls follows an elite group of women in the 1940’s and 50’s who broke gender and scientific barriers in the early days of rocket design]]>AnnR2016-07-25T09:48:15ZWe often think of the women astronauts as breaking gender barriers, but a whole generation of women came before them in the early days of the space program.

Rise of the Rocket Girls follows an elite group of women in the 1940’s and 50’s who broke gender and scientific barriers in the early days of rocket design and helped lay the groundwork for our space program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

Interestingly, they were referred to as computers because they performed the math computations that determined speed, trajectory, combustion, and other factors for rocket and propellant development. These women computed thus they were labeled computers.

This book is very readable. Interspersed with their space work, are stories of their challenges of balancing home and family with a career, their struggles in a male-dominated workplace, and their pride in their role in launching American into space.

]]>Save the Orangutanshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401128&blogid=1766
Orangutan Orphanage was written and photographed by Suzi Eszterhas , a wildlife photographer whose work has appeared in numerous periodicals. She is also an advocate for conservation and helps raise money for various wildlife organizations throughout the world.
In this informative, endearing and just plain swe]]>TeresaM-R2016-07-25T09:38:56ZOrangutan Orphanage was written and photographed by Suzi Eszterhas, a wildlife photographer whose work has appeared in numerous periodicals. She is also an advocate for conservation and helps raise money for various wildlife organizations throughout the world.

In this informative, endearing and just plain sweet book, she documents her visit to the Orangutan Foundation International’s Orangutan Care Center, where they actively care for rescued orangutans, most of which are orphaned youngsters.

The Center is located in the jungles of Borneo, Indonesia, just outside the Tanjung Puting National Park. Some three hundred orangutans are cared for by a hundred or so good-hearted, local villagers who are specially trained in orangutan care and development. Taking care of the youngest orphans is a 24 hour a day, seven day a week task, where the caretaker plays the role of surrogate mom. This includes round-the-clock bottle feedings, bath times, playtimes and educational outings to teach their charges about their environment and how to get along with other orangs. After years of effort, and a little luck, many or most of these animals will be released back into the wild to live the life that they were intended to live.

This is a wonderfully appealing visual book for animal lovers, both young and old. Additional information is provided on Doctor Birute Mary Galdikas, founder and president of the Orangutan Foundation International, as well as ecotourism, conservation, and how we can all help orangutans survive.

Check it out! You’ll be glad you did.

]]>Squid for President!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401126&blogid=1766
Jokes about presidential candidates are just too easy this time around so I’m going to skip that part and get right to Aaron Reynolds new picture book President Squid . It is true that no giant squid has ever been president before, but this might be the right time. Squid wears a tie, lives in a big house (a sunke]]>Steve S2016-07-22T15:39:45ZJokes about presidential candidates are just too easy this time around so I’m going to skip that part and get right to Aaron Reynolds new picture book President Squid. It is true that no giant squid has ever been president before, but this might be the right time. Squid wears a tie, lives in a big house (a sunken cruise liner), is famous (he’s in a book), does all the talking, and likes to boss people around so he thinks he is perfect for the job. Will he be the fifth president carved into Mt. Rushmore? If you aren’t already having enough fun during this year’s presidential race, check out President Squid for even more laughs.

Speaking of storybook characters running for president, stay tuned for our mock election this Fall where each library location will nominate and campaign for one for president. Of course, Washington Square’s nominee, Dora the Explorer, will win!

]]>Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bridehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401113&blogid=1766
&#160;Summer is the perfect time for
light reading, so I have another graphic novel to tell you all about! Lucy
Knisley, an artist with a knack for turning her personal experiences into
entertaining graphic memoirs, is back with Something New ! Literally—that’s the
name of the book .&#160;
&#160;
Knisley h]]>MilanH2016-07-21T16:14:48Z Summer is the perfect time for
light reading, so I have another graphic novel to tell you all about! Lucy
Knisley, an artist with a knack for turning her personal experiences into
entertaining graphic memoirs, is back with Something New! Literally—that’s the
name of the book.

Knisley has written about the
important role of food in her life, and some of her exciting travel adventures,
but this time she’s covering her experiences grappling with the beautiful and
incredibly stressful task of getting married. This lovely memoir includes many
fun components, such as, a section on to buy, or DIY, how she and her husband
met, and wedding traditions from around the world. I’d recommend this to book
to anyone, whether they’re married, engaged, or single, because honestly, it’s
just fun going on this wedding
journey with Lucy Knisley.

]]>The Poisoning of Michiganhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401108&blogid=1766
The environmental history of Michigan in the twentieth century (and beyond) has been one characterized by intermittent disasters with wide-ranging implications for the health and well-being of its citizens. One need only examine the Environmental Protection Agency’s maps of Superfund sites (specially-designated toxic]]>PatrickJ2016-07-21T15:29:03Zmaps of Superfund sites (specially-designated toxic waste remediation locations) in Michigan to better understand the current scope of the problems.

As alarming as these scenarios have been, the effects and general contamination produced by each could be described as relatively localized, at least in comparison to a 1973 disaster which resulted in the poisoning of the general population (approximately 9 million individuals) of Michigan through compromised dairy products. This is the subject of The Poisoning of Michigan by Joyce Egginton.

Egginton begins by summarizing the broad strokes of the accident, which began at the Michigan Chemical Corporation where a variety of industrial chemicals were produced. Among these were Nutrimaster, an additive for livestock feed which was shown to increase milk production in dairy cows and have other beneficial effects, and Firemaster, a polybrominated biphenyl (a type of chemical very similar to PCBs) that was being used at the time as a top-notch industrial fire-retardant. The chemicals were nearly indistinguishable to the naked eye, and a paper shortage had led to some extremely questionable techniques being implemented to label the 50-pound brown paper bags in which both Nutrimaster and Firemaster were shipped.

The outcome of this unconscionable confluence of circumstances was that in the Spring of 1973 a truck driver delivered several thousand pounds of Firemaster to the largest agricultural feed plant in Michigan where it was unknowingly combined with livestock feed, dispersed to more than 5,000 farms all over the state and fed to a variety of farm animals for nearly a year before being positively identified.

Egginton goes on to discuss in great detail the efforts of a handful of individuals, including a dairy farmer with a chemistry degree, who worked to pinpoint the cause of what followed: cows lost weight precipitously, milk production plummeted, chickens were born with tumors, animals in general refused to eat and perished. Similar outcomes awaited humans who consumed the products produced by those animals to the degree that a measurable decline in the athletic prowess of Michigan sports teams was noted during the years of peak contamination. All of this took place within an atmosphere which Egginton describes as one characterized by bureaucratic denial, industrial indifference, and the isolation of the afflicted.

Even when viewed alongside such well-known environmental disasters as Love Canal, which would be brought to light five years later, the degree of contamination stemming from the accident remains unparalleled in the United States. Occasionally the event is revisited by the media, and the ongoing effects are measured and discussed, but proportional to its impact, it seems to have become a little-known chapter in the environmental and agricultural history of Michigan.]]>Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed A Neighborhoodhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401101&blogid=1766
Mira loves to "doodle, draw, color, and paint" so her room is filled with vibrant pictures that she created herself. &#160;Her neighborhood, on the other hand, is dull and gray. &#160;Until the day a muralist moved in. &#160;Together the two of them set off to paint the town.
Based on a true story, this picture boo]]>KalaL2016-07-21T09:40:32ZMira loves to "doodle, draw, color, and paint" so her room is filled with vibrant pictures that she created herself. Her neighborhood, on the other hand, is dull and gray. Until the day a muralist moved in. Together the two of them set off to paint the town.

Based on a true story, this picture book is about the East Village neighborhood in San Diego. It tells the story of a community that Rafael and Candace Lopez brings together and the creation of the Urban Art Trail. Lopez (who is also the illustrator of the book) along with community leaders, teachers, artists, and residents worked together to turn their neighborhood into a walkable piece of art. This picture book is an inspiring story with wonderful illustrations that young children will love.

]]>Tokyo Ghoul by Sui Ishidahttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401097&blogid=1766
I was just on MelCat, minding my own business, when a message caught my eye. It flashed across the banner on the homepage, and it said "No Flying, No Tights". When I clicked on it, a site full of librarians' recommendations for anime, manga, graphic novels, and other non-superhero related materials opened up. SWEET!
]]>ElyseM2016-07-20T14:51:25ZI was just on MelCat, minding my own business, when a message caught my eye. It flashed across the banner on the homepage, and it said "No Flying, No Tights". When I clicked on it, a site full of librarians' recommendations for anime, manga, graphic novels, and other non-superhero related materials opened up. SWEET!

http://noflyingnotights.com/

I am always hunting for new titles in these categories. I read about Tokyo Ghoul, and placed a hold through MelCat for the first volume of the manga series. Manga are Japanese comic books. They read from right to left. This supernatural title features flesh-eating ghouls trying to blend into human society to avoid ghoul investigators and stay safe among their own often violent, territorial peers. People know about ghouls; their existence isn't a secret, so they have even more reason to protect their true identities. The main character, Ken Kaneki, unwillingly becomes a part of this dark underground world, and it changes his life forever. Since reading the first volume, I've already received and began reading the second one, and requested the third. The series was made into an anime show, but I can't vouch for it. However, I do highly recommend the manga to teen and adult horror fans. Enjoy!

]]>What Should I Read Next?http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401070&blogid=1766
Full Disclosure: I haven’t read The Grownup by Gillian Flynn yet, but it’s on my list of books to read next. I discovered The Grownup while using our new database, NoveList , to find reading recommendations based on books I love. NoveList is an online resource that makes it easy to find books to read; it offe]]>CaitlinH2016-07-14T12:00:02ZFull Disclosure: I haven’t read The Grownup by Gillian Flynn yet, but it’s on my list of books to read next. I discovered The Grownup while using our new database, NoveList, to find reading recommendations based on books I love. NoveList is an online resource that makes it easy to find books to read; it offers read-alike recommendations, reading lists, and an “appeal” feature that helps readers determine why they enjoy a book and whether a particular book will fit their style. I looked up my favorite book that I’ve read this year: Mr. Splitfoot, a contemporary gothic novel by Samantha Hunt. It was atmospheric, unsettling, and full of great character development. I wanted more! NoveList gave me list of ten recommendations based on that title, and due to its description, The Grownup appealed to me the most. Why did NoveList recommend The Grownup based on my love of Mr. Splitfoot? According to the recommendation, “These books are Creepy and Compelling, and they share: the genre 'Gothic fiction' and the subject 'Swindlers and swindling'.” All right, I’m sold.

]]>School's First Day of Schoolhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401054&blogid=1766
&#160; Everyone is just a little bit nervous on the
first day of school, even the brand-new school building. &#160; “A sign above the door read, FREDERICK
DOUGLASS ELEMENTARY. &#160; ‘That’s a good name
for me,’ thought the school.” &#160; On this
first day, some kids learn about rectangles, some cry, som]]>Susan2016-07-12T10:49:25ZEveryone is just a little bit nervous on the
first day of school, even the brand-new school building.“A sign above the door read, FREDERICK
DOUGLASS ELEMENTARY.‘That’s a good name
for me,’ thought the school.”On this
first day, some kids learn about rectangles, some cry, some are bored, some
play on the jungle gym.“So that’swhat that is for,’ thought the school.”Be sure to take a look at this book before
school starts . . . School’s First Day of
School is a reassuring story about new beginnings for everyone.

]]>When the Science Industry Goes Wronghttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401050&blogid=1766
We like to think of science as the most objective, most unbiased, most pristine and humble profession; slowly but surely delivery us a progression of facts and knowledge and theories that explain them. Well, yes and no. Unfortunately science is composed of human beings, people and institutions that suffer the same imp]]>MattS2016-07-11T16:44:53ZWe like to think of science as the most objective, most unbiased, most pristine and humble profession; slowly but surely delivery us a progression of facts and knowledge and theories that explain them. Well, yes and no. Unfortunately science is composed of human beings, people and institutions that suffer the same imperfections, motivations, and errors of judgment. And greed and money (didn't someone say that money is the root of all evil?).

This book is a hoot. The writer not only exposes bad science and - probably more importantly - bad interpretations of science by the media - but he does so in a hilarious, entertaining way that will make you feel less dumb when you're finished. He clearly explains concepts in statistics that most people don't understand.

Oddly, a met a random library user in the stacks last week. She was looking for this book. I said: I'm reading that book! So I (finally) returned the book and let her have it. Enjoy random reader!

]]>Lane Smith’s “There Is a Tribe of Kids”http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401045&blogid=1766
Lane Smith’s picture book titled: There Is a Tribe of Kids is both curious and educational, plus, it’s a reference book. Patrons have traditionally asked librarians questions such as: what do you call a group of this or that, whether it be animals (animal aggregations), or some other group. Familiar animal aggreg]]>AmyChase2016-07-11T15:20:05ZLane Smith’s picture book titled: There Is a Tribe of Kids is both curious and educational, plus, it’s a reference book. Patrons have traditionally asked librarians questions such as: what do you call a group of this or that, whether it be animals (animal aggregations), or some other group. Familiar animal aggregations are: a school of fish, a flock of geese, pack of dogs, you get the idea. In Smith’s book, a lone child takes us on a journey from animal group to animal group and eventually to a group of children. Lane Smith’s illustrations are truly amazing and full of antics and delightful detail. Lane Smith has written and illustrated many children’s books, and Lane received a Caldecott Honor Award for Grandpa Green. He was named an Eric Carle Artist for “lifelong innovation in the field of children’s picture books” in 2012!

]]>The ZER0ES are my Hacker Heroes!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401034&blogid=1766
Ever since the advent of the personal computer there have been stories about hackers. Super-intelligent misfits that can bring down big business and corrupt governments with a few keystrokes have become Robin Hood-like heroes in both books and movies. These types of stories are filled with enough techno-thrills, espion]]>Kevin King2016-07-08T12:10:31ZChuck Wendig’s Zer0es is the story of five “criminal” hackers who are captured and given a choice to either work on a special government project or rot in a jail cell. Our hacker heroes, dubbed “the Zeroes”, soon discover that the work they are doing has caused the “awakening” of a digital demon that wants to protect the world by enslaving the population! Reading Zer0es was like watching a big budget summer blockbuster. It was chock full of action, conspiracy, big explosions, monsters, and lots of hacking! No need to plug into to enjoy Zer0es!]]>Dead Presidentshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401031&blogid=1766
Dead presidents. That would be all of them except for five. This rather unorthodox and macabre yet sometimes humorous book published in 2016 discusses the circumstances of the presidents' deaths, burials, and legacies. Other than the first chapter, which is about George Washington, author Carlson does not take a chrono]]>David D.2016-07-07T17:12:19Z]]>Kindred by Octavia Butlerhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401027&blogid=1766
My sister recommended this book to me but I put off reading it for a while. I wish I hadn't waited to read it though. In Octavia Butler's Kindred , published in 1979, African-American woman Dana gets sent back in time from 1976 to the early 19th century. There, she must learn how to survive in the era of slavery until]]>ElyseM2016-07-07T13:15:44ZKindred, published in 1979, African-American woman Dana gets sent back in time from 1976 to the early 19th century. There, she must learn how to survive in the era of slavery until she can get back home. Her white husband, Kevin, also becomes involved in her time travel, so the reader can compare and contrast their experiences. Despite the time travel aspect of the story, it mainly reads as historical fiction. It is an uncomfortable read (the ending was especially unsettling), but that makes it more authentic and worthwhile. The edition that I read includes a critical essay by Robert Crossley at the end which discusses Butler as a black, female author in the historically white, male genre of science fiction, and explains some of the plot points to increase the reader's understanding of the book. I hope this title makes it to your reading list, because it greatly deserves a spot there.]]>Jupiter!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401026&blogid=1766
Soon all the books about Jupiter will be out of date and I can't wait! On Monday the Juno mission reached Jupiter . Now we can look forward to new discoveries about this giant of our solar system. When I was in third grade, my father brought the family telescope to school for an evening event where we all had the o]]>BillC2016-07-07T12:42:54ZSoon all the books about Jupiter will be out of date and I can't wait! On Monday the Juno mission reached Jupiter. Now we can look forward to new discoveries about this giant of our solar system. When I was in third grade, my father brought the family telescope to school for an evening event where we all had the opportunity to see Jupiter, and some of its moons, through the eyepiece. A home-built six-inch reflector telescope is enough to see what Galileo so famously observed: a tiny dot of light with a few even tinier dots nearby. Those tiny dots were a few of Jupiter's moons. It was about that time that the Voyager probes began to deliver spectacular much-closer-up images of the outer planets and their satellites. And, of course, all the books about the planets became woefully out of date. So get ready, publishers. We're looking forward to updating the books about our outer solar system with new and up to date materials!

]]>King John: Treachery and Tyranny in Medieval Englandhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401019&blogid=1766
At some point in a semi-recent reading of Dan Jones’ The Wars of the Roses , it occurred to me that almost everything I knew about King John of England had been gathered from films, from the timeless The Lion in Winter to the marginally enjoyable Ridley Scott adaptation of Robin Hood . Naturally, I was please]]>PatrickJ2016-07-06T16:44:25ZDan Jones’ The Wars of the Roses, it occurred to me that almost everything I knew about King John of England had been gathered from films, from the timeless The Lion in Winter to the marginally enjoyable Ridley Scott adaptation of Robin Hood. Naturally, I was pleased when I saw Marc Morris’ recent biography of King John appear on our shelves. Morris, an historian who studied and taught history at the Universities of London and Oxford, is the author of the very well-received A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain and Norman Conquest: The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England.

The broad strokes of John’s life are fairly well-known to many: he took part in a wide variety of power struggles within his immediate family, earning himself a reputation as an attempted usurper, orchestrated the murder of his nephew and rival, quarreled with the Pope, was excommunicated from the Church, lost all his inherited lands in continental Europe, heavily taxed his barons resulting in his forced signing of the Magna Carta, and upon his death, left England in a state of upheaval. Certainly, the details of such a life warrant closer examination and King John’s life has been the subject of numerous efforts by historians, many of whom see in him an ambitious and able-bodied administrator whose reputation has been tarnished by both his contemporary chroniclers and those who have come since.

Morris’s assessment of the life and legacy of King John is less glowing, however. He describes him as deficient in matters of both military and political, and states, “Besides his reputation for treachery, John lacked boldness.” Additionally, he makes it plain that John seemed to have a tendency towards cruelty and argues that authors of primary sources concerning his life who claimed as much certainly had plenty of source material from which to draw their criticisms.

In addition to what I would consider a fair treatment of King John, I was also pleased to find thought-provoking depictions of his family, friends, and rivals. Even among such colorful characters as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II, and Richard the Lionheart, the one who stood out the most in my mind was Philip II, called Philip Augustus, of France. The delicate relationship between the two monarchs, frequently cooperative, but ultimately antagonistic, constituted a turning point in European geopolitics that I’m sure I had never properly appreciated before and is handled with great precision here.]]>Symphony for the City of the Deadhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401015&blogid=1766
Dmitri Shostakovich was a quiet man, nervous and introverted. He disliked the attention that his music granted him. Considering he lived through the Great Terror of Stalin's regime, it makes perfect sense he would want to be as inconspicuous as a composer could be. As Operation Barbarossa brings the new threat of Hitle]]>KirstenJ2016-07-06T12:19:27ZSeventh Symphony that shines brightest in the city darkened by war. I highly recommend listening to his symphonies as you read this book. It adds yet another powerful dimension to an already compelling true story.]]>Calling all Fashionistas!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032401010&blogid=1766
&#160;Let’s begin with a simple truth. I love fashion. I also love
to shop; but like so many other fashionistas, I never gave any thought to where
my clothes are coming from before they arrive on the hangers at the mall, or
where they go long after they’ve been donated to the Goodwill. It’s no
exaggeration to say ]]>MilanH2016-07-05T20:04:30Z Let’s begin with a simple truth. I love fashion. I also love
to shop; but like so many other fashionistas, I never gave any thought to where
my clothes are coming from before they arrive on the hangers at the mall, or
where they go long after they’ve been donated to the Goodwill. It’s no
exaggeration to say the book Overdressed by Elizabeth L Cline completely
changed the way I think about fashion.

Overdressed shines a light on the recent phenomenon of “fast
fashion,” a term coined to describe the low quality, cheaply priced trendy clothing
stores like Forever 21 that have become such a large part of the landscape in
the shopping world. In her book Cline examines why this shift has occurred while
going further to explore the consequences playing out on a global scale.

This book is a fascinating critique of the fashion world,
and I heartily recommend it to all of the fashionistas out there. Looking for more sordid details on the
unsustainable business practices of the fashion industry? Be sure to check out
Magnifeco by Kate Black.

]]>Princeless: Save Yourself by Jeremy Whitley and M. Goodwinhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400974&blogid=1766
Princeless is an all-ages, ongoing comic book series written by Jeremy Whitley with art and colors by M. Goodwin, and is published by Action Lab Comics. I am recommending the first trade paperback of the book, which collects the first 4 issues into one book. Or, if you prefer, you can access the series on your compute]]>ElyseM2016-06-30T12:22:10ZPrinceless is an all-ages, ongoing comic book series written by Jeremy Whitley with art and colors by M. Goodwin, and is published by Action Lab Comics. I am recommending the first trade paperback of the book, which collects the first 4 issues into one book. Or, if you prefer, you can access the series on your computer or tablet through Hoopla. You will find individual issues as well as the volumes there.

Princess Adrienne's parents have locked her and her sisters into towers throughout the kingdom, with a different mythical creature guarding each one against would-be rescuers. The king and queen want a suitable husband for each daughter, and a worthy son-in-law as an heir to the throne. Whoever slays the beast gets the girl, and therefore proves himself as the best suitor.

Adrienne decides to fight the status quo by embarking on a quest to rescue her sisters herself. A quirky female blacksmith named Bedelia and Adrienne's lovable dragon, Sparky, help her to begin her journey. Her brother Devin, who is more interested in prose than sword-fighting, also aids Adrienne. I love this book because it addresses sexism, gender roles, abuse of power by law enforcement, and other important themes, but in a humorous way that anybody can understand. And of course it tears down fairy tale cliches. Boys and girls, young and old, will enjoy this book. If you have not read a comic book before and you would like to try, just remember to follow it from top to bottom, and from left to right. Once you practice a bit, it comes easily.

]]>Writing My Wrongshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400966&blogid=1766
After having the opportunity to see Shaka Senghor at Bookbug earlier this spring, I immediately checked out a copy of Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death and Redemption in an American Prison and quickly became engrossed in this young author’s fascinating and inspiring story. In alternating chapters that move between t]]>KarenT2016-06-29T11:46:59ZShaka Senghor at Bookbug earlier this spring, I immediately checked out a copy of Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death and Redemption in an American Prison and quickly became engrossed in this young author’s fascinating and inspiring story. In alternating chapters that move between the period leading up to his incarceration at age 19, and the period encompassing his 19-year imprisonment, Senghor presents a comprehensive account of how, despite all the cards presumably stacked against him as an African American boy growing up in Detroit, he was able to rise above his mistakes. He now travels the country as a lecturer on criminal justice reform, and is a living example of the benefits of journalling, reading, and self-exploration that resulted in his ultimate release, after a sentence that included a total of seven years in solitary confinement. And although those particular details are not for the faint of heart, Senghor’s story is one of hope, forgiveness, and redemption.]]>HOT DOG TASTE TESThttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400965&blogid=1766
I like weird books and I cannot lie! If you like them too, checkout HOT DOG TASTE TEST by illustrator Lisa Hanawalt . The book is ostensibly about foodie culture and such, but Hanawalt’s charming watercolor illustrations, wacky animal obsessions, and just plain weird and wonderful sense of humor make this so much more]]>mykyl2016-06-28T16:41:14ZLisa Hanawalt. The book is ostensibly about foodie culture and such, but Hanawalt’s charming watercolor illustrations, wacky animal obsessions, and just plain weird and wonderful sense of humor make this so much more.]]>After You by Jojo Moyes (sequel to Me Before You)http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400961&blogid=1766
To those of you who have read Me Before You , I am here to recommend the sequel, After You . Author Jojo Moyes continues
to craft relatable, interesting stories for the characters she brought to life
in Me Before You as well as introducing
a few new people. The best part of this sequel is that the other ]]>ElyseM2016-06-28T15:28:07ZTo those of you who have read Me Before You, I am here to recommend the sequel, After You. Author Jojo Moyes continues
to craft relatable, interesting stories for the characters she brought to life
in Me Before You as well as introducing
a few new people. The best part of this sequel is that the other characters are
given more time to develop instead of Louisa being the main focus. We get to
see Camilla and Steven Traynor’s lives after Will, observe Josie’s growth and
her marriage with Bernard more closely, and view Treena’s situation from a
fresh angle. The only character I did not like, a teenage girl with a ton of
personal and family issues, became very important and even her story interested
me. Moyes delves into themes of grief, depression, and isolation in After You and succeeds in painting a
very real portrait of loss that is important to find in fiction. We watch how
long it takes Louisa to get her life back on track after the events of Me Before You and appreciate that her recovery
takes a lot of time and introspection. While it did require more patience from me to stay with Louisa
during this most challenging time in her life, it was worth it to reach the book’s
satisfying conclusion.

]]>Happyhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400960&blogid=1766
Emma Dodd's picture books are among my favorite to read with my kids. My latest favorite is, Happy , the story of a Mama Owl and her happiness with her babies.&#160;The beautiful illustrations with occasional metallic accents always grab our attention. The rhyming, joyful text comforts us when we're grumpy because i]]>AndreaV2016-06-28T14:39:43ZHappy, the story of a Mama Owl and her happiness with her babies. The beautiful illustrations with occasional metallic accents always grab our attention. The rhyming, joyful text comforts us when we're grumpy because it's almost time for bed. The sweet, but not achingly sweet, storyline brings us closer together as we read. I know my children will cherish these titles when they leave my house and I'm grateful we get to share them while they are young. For a complete list of Emma Dodd's titles, check out our catalog.]]>Slice Harvester: A Memoir in Pizzahttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400945&blogid=1766
You think you like pizza? Colin Hagendorf likes pizza. Middle-aged, crusty punk Colin likes pizza so much, in fact, that in August 2009, he set out to eat a slice of cheese pizza from every single pizzeria in Manhattan, and in the process started the blog Slice Harvester . This book is a record of his pizza adventur]]>Stewart F.2016-06-27T11:44:32ZSlice Harvester. This book is a record of his pizza adventures over the course of two years and nearly 400 pizza slices, good and bad (frequently bad). Along the way, he meets the third-generation Italian owner of one of NYC's best pizza joints, eats pizza with celebrities, drinks, fights, and reevaluates his existence. More than just a pizza travelogue or simple list of reviews, Slice Harvester is warts-and-all memoir of some very bad behavior and questionable decision-making. If you like your pizza topped with attitude, sarcasm, and a dash of self-loathing, take this one home today!]]>Far From the Tree(1)http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400943&blogid=1766
I was trying to think of a book that I could recommend for LGBTQ Pride Month and my mind keeps going back to a deeply moving book I read a few years ago by Andrew Solomon called Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity , which won the National Book Critics Circle Award. Most of the book is]]>Steve S2016-06-27T09:45:48ZAndrew Solomon called Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award. Most of the book is not about LGBTQ issues, but Solomon’s research and empathetic voice helps bring awareness and appreciation for the view point of many different kinds of people, which is a major goal of Pride Month.

Through interviews with parents, Solomon explores the lives of families raising children with deafness, dwarfism, Down syndrome, autism, schizophrenia, multiple severe disabilities; and with children who are prodigies, who are conceived in rape, who become criminals, and who are transgender. The summary in our catalog describes the book as, “elegantly reported by a spectacularly original thinker, Far from the Tree explores themes of generosity, acceptance, and tolerance--all rooted in the insight that love can transcend every prejudice. This crucial and revelatory book expands our definition of what it is to be human.”

Do not be put off by the size of the book. If you just can’t get yourself to take on a project this big, the chapters stand mostly alone so you could pick and choose what you wanted to read. Also, just reading the introduction is highly satisfying, as you encounter more compelling and fascinating ideas than most whole books.

In the chapter on transgender children, Solomon mentions a documentary titled Prodigal Sons that was made by one of the subjects of that chapter. I was delighted to see that the library owned a copy and I highly recommend it.]]>Bear and Hare - Two Good Friends Off On Another Gentle Adventurehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400917&blogid=1766
Author and illustrator Emily Gravett has written another book featuring that likeable pair, Bear and Hare.
In Bear &amp; Hare: Where’s Bear? , the duo play hide and seek and unfortunately it’s Bear’s turn to hide. After counting to ten, Hare has no problem finding Bear as he attempts to conceal himself in places]]>TeresaM-R2016-06-20T10:51:44ZAuthor and illustrator Emily Gravett has written another book featuring that likeable pair, Bear and Hare.

In Bear & Hare: Where’s Bear?, the duo play hide and seek and unfortunately it’s Bear’s turn to hide. After counting to ten, Hare has no problem finding Bear as he attempts to conceal himself in places that are far from obscure. Bear is just too large!

Then it’s Hare’s turn to hide while Bear counts to ten. Bear has a much more difficult time finding Hare. He looks in the teapot, under the rug, and under the blanket. Bear gives up and decides that a quick nap is in order. He curls up under the blanket, while Hare, comes out the other end. Now Hare is once again looking for his friend Bear. Finally, after checking all of Bear’s previously ineffective hiding spots, Hare states loudly “I WANT BEAR!” Bear comes out from underneath his blanket and they reunite with a big hug. There! They’re back together once more, and all is well with the world!

A sweet and endearing story which is sure to please any preschool child. Wonderful whimsy!

]]>No Ordinary Soundhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400903&blogid=1766
I highly recommend No Ordinary Sound by Denise Lewis Patrick . &#160;The story introduces Melody Ellison, the latest addition to the American Girl historical dolls line BeForever . &#160;Reading it transported me back to my childhood growing up in Detroit during the 1960s. &#160;It is a wonderful read and I was so]]>KalaL2016-06-15T12:48:05ZI highly recommend No Ordinary Sound by Denise Lewis Patrick. The story introduces Melody Ellison, the latest addition to the American Girl historical dolls line BeForever. Reading it transported me back to my childhood growing up in Detroit during the 1960s. It is a wonderful read and I was so impressed with all the authentic references to the city and the time period.

Melody is a talented 9-year-old who loves to sing. Her story unfolds as she tries to balance her youthful dreams with the harsh realities of growing up during the Civil Rights Era. After Melody is chosen to sing a solo at her church recital, she experiences set-backs at home, in her community, and in her country.

The author has written a true classic here. I can't wait for the Melody Ellison doll to debut this summer. I just might find myself standing in line at a mall somewhere.

]]>Lost Girlhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400894&blogid=1766
As someone who loves 20th century historical fiction&#160; of all kinds , I was drawn to Emma Cline’s debut novel The Girls . The Girls follows present-day Evie Boyd as she recalls the events of the summer of 1969 when she was 14 years old. Evie, a lost and lonely adolescent, is drawn into a cult by the confid]]>CatherineLewis2016-06-14T14:13:22ZAs someone who loves 20th century historical fiction ofallkinds, I was drawn to Emma Cline’s debut novel The Girls. The Girls follows present-day Evie Boyd as she recalls the events of the summer of 1969 when she was 14 years old. Evie, a lost and lonely adolescent, is drawn into a cult by the confident, effervescent Suzanne who is everything Evie wants to be. She finds sanctuary at the compound, but things begin to unravel when the leader plans a gruesome murder that rocks the nation.

Being a teenager is hard on everyone. It’s an awkward time and all you want is to feel like you belong somewhere. My version of handling this stage in life was VASTLY different (mainly sitting in my room listening to emo music and reading Stephen King novels), but Cline conjured up a bittersweet nostalgia that made me feel a connection to young Evie. Cline also depicts the diversity of female relationships- with men, with girls and women, with society- and does not gloss over any of the negatives. Evie isn’t always likable and doesn’t always have a solid reason for her actions, and that’s okay. Cline isn’t afraid to show that everyone has flaws, not all decisions are crystal clear, and not all relationships are ideal, or even healthy.

I will confess that I wasn’t as captivated with the actual plot as I had hoped, but I was still drawn into this book. Even though the incident is comparable to the Manson Family murders, the thrill of the crime fell a little flat. If you are looking for an edge-of-your-seat-true-crime-inspired fiction, move on, BUT if you’re looking for an emotional coming-of-age tale, get comfy and read on. The Girls may not have been the historical crime story I was expecting, but it was definitely worth the read!

]]>A Dictionary of Mutual Understandinghttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400890&blogid=1766
&#160;I’ve read many novels about World War II, but A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding , is the first I can recall with a Japanese setting to the Nagasaki bombing.
Amaterasu Takahaski, now living in Philadelphia, is skeptical when a badly scarred man, claiming to be her grandson, appears at her door. Her gran]]>AnnR2016-06-14T08:04:20Z I’ve read many novels about World War II, but A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding, is the first I can recall with a Japanese setting to the Nagasaki bombing.

Amaterasu Takahaski, now living in Philadelphia, is skeptical when a badly scarred man, claiming to be her grandson, appears at her door. Her grandson and her daughter perished nearly forty years ago during the bombing of Nagasaki, but this man carries a collection of sealed private letters that open long-buried family secrets that give her pause.

This is a heart-wrenching story of love and regret, ultimately healing and hope. I’ve been recommending this to my reader-friends and expect it will be one of my favorites of the year.

]]>These Girls Pack a Punch!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400886&blogid=1766
&#160;Do you need more dinosaurs, time travelers, and girl power
in your life? If so, I have two fantastic graphic novels for you.&#160; First up, is Paper Girls, Volume 1 by Brian
K. Vaughn, the writer named by Wired Magazine as " the greatest comic book visionary of the last five years ." This suspenseful myste]]>MilanH2016-06-10T16:44:39Z Do you need more dinosaurs, time travelers, and girl power
in your life? If so, I have two fantastic graphic novels for you. First up, is Paper Girls, Volume 1 by Brian
K. Vaughn, the writer named by Wired Magazine as " the greatest comic book visionary of the last five years." This suspenseful mystery starts
with a slow burn as four paper delivery girls head out to cover their route the
morning after Halloween in 1988. After
the girls accidentally set off a strange machine, the story kicks off at
break-neck speed, and soon the girls are facing off against dinosaurs,
laser-blasting knights, and sub-human creatures that might just be from the future. It’s intense, fast-paced, wicked
fun, and the series is only just beginning.

Also, make sure to check out the Lumberjanes series by Grace
Ellis and Noelle Stevenson. Lumberjanes follows five “hardcore lady types”
spending the summer at a crazy camp surrounded by bizarre supernatural
mysteries. The girls fight werewolves, solve riddles, and avoid the ever-watchful
eye of their group counselor in this manic, off-beat, fantastic read. This
series has been out for a while, but you can catch up on Hoopla digital.

Both of these series are a great mash-up of sci-fi, fantasy,
action, and mystery with fabulous artwork. So what are you waiting for?

]]>Prisoners of Geographyhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400868&blogid=1766
This 2015 book, subtitled Ten Maps That Explain Everything about the World, is praised by Newsweek as a work that 'shows how geography shapes not just history but destiny.' The ten maps and the discussion of each conveniently take up ten chapters: Russia, China, United States, Western Europe, Africa, The Middle Eas]]>David D.2016-06-09T17:46:17ZTen Maps That Explain Everything about the World, is praised by Newsweek as a work that 'shows how geography shapes not just history but destiny.' The ten maps and the discussion of each conveniently take up ten chapters: Russia, China, United States, Western Europe, Africa, The Middle East, India and Pakistan, Korea and Japan, Latin America, and The Arctic. The discipline of geopolitics gets a very good airing here, with answers by British author Tim Marshall to such questions as: 1) Why will America never be invaded?, 2) What does it mean that Russia must have a navy, but also has frozen ports six months out of the year?, 3) How does this affect Putin's treatment of the Ukraine?, 4) How is China's future constrained by geography?, 5) Why is Tibet destined to lose its autonomy?, and 6) Why will Europe never be united? The physical aspects of the world's nations are a major factor in determining the conduct of international relations even in this modern age. Historical yet current, this book is a rich source for understanding the world scene in the 21st century and the background to its development.]]>The Knot Outdoor Weddingshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400858&blogid=1766
Fresh Ideas For Events In Gardens, Vineyards, Beaches, Mountains, And More
The Knot….you might be wondering what could this possibly mean – that is only if you have not had an experience with the world of weddings recently!
The Knot was founded by Carley Roney to bring modern, fresh personal style to weddings.]]>nancyds2016-06-09T14:45:53ZFresh Ideas For Events In Gardens, Vineyards, Beaches, Mountains, And More

The Knot….you might be wondering what could this possibly mean – that is only if you have not had an experience with the world of weddings recently!

The Knot was founded by Carley Roney to bring modern, fresh personal style to weddings. The Knot Outdoor Weddings book features 50 gorgeous weddings celebrating an array of settings. This is a must look at book if a wedding is in your future. My daughter and I have been studying the beautiful photographs and details for just about any outdoor wedding setting. We are adding ideas for her upcoming wedding. I know you will have fun looking through this book as well.

Happy dreaming!

]]>Weekends with Max and His Dadhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400857&blogid=1766
&#160; “Just like a porcupine, he had two places to sleep. &#160; Both were safe and both were good. &#160; Some days were house days and some days were
apartment days. &#160; But both were home.” &#160; This short chapter book is about Max and his
dad as they find their way when divorce requires some th]]>Susan2016-06-09T13:19:45Z“Just like a porcupine, he had two places to sleep.Both were safe and both were good.Some days were house days and some days were
apartment days.But both were home.”This short chapter book is about Max and his
dad as they find their way when divorce requires some things to change.Weekends with Max and His Dad is a sweet, honest, funny story.

]]>Widow Basquiathttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400847&blogid=1766
I’ve been interested in the New York art scene of the 1980’s since…well the 1980’s. The New York of that era would be unrecognizable to the gentrified, hyper-wealthy Manhattan of today. But it’s just that gritty, crime-ridden, underworld scene that interested me so much. It also allowed hip-hop music and graffiti art t]]>mykyl2016-06-08T12:41:30ZKeith Haring, but the artist whose work and image intrigued me the most was Jean-Michel Basquiat. Seeing pictures of Basquiat back then, dreadlocked and in a paint-spattered Armani suit, seemed too cool to be real and when I first saw the raw voodoo power of his paintings, I really couldn’t get enough. There are many books that highlight this era and the artists who were forged within it, but the uniquely resonant prose of Jennifer Clement’s novel Widow Basquiat is exceptional in its ability to take you directly to that wild time in New York City and poetically tell the story of the volatile love affair between the doomed Basquiat and his muse Suzanne Mollouk.]]>The Story of Kullervohttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400843&blogid=1766
My enduring interest in the works of&#160; J.R.R. Tolkien &#160;and my Finnish ancestry are two aspects of my life I never had reason to believe would ever cross in any significant fashion. Browsing the shelves, I recently discovered&#160; The Story of Kullervo &#160;(ed. Verlyn Flieger), an unfinished prose vers]]>PatrickJ2016-06-07T16:16:55ZMy enduring interest in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and my Finnish ancestry are two aspects of my life I never had reason to believe would ever cross in any significant fashion. Browsing the shelves, I recently discovered The Story of Kullervo (ed. Verlyn Flieger), an unfinished prose version of what is known as the Kullervo cycle, which originally appeared in the Finnish epic poem The Kalevala.

Tolkien set to work on the The Story of Kullervo as an undergraduate studying at Exeter College, Oxford in 1914. The original story is a tragic tale of an unfortunate orphan boy, raised by his father's killer, and centered around themes of magic, betrayal, and vengeance. Tolkien, having first read an English-translated copy of The Kalevala in 1907 while a student at King Edward’s School, found the Kullervo cycle particularly captivating. Claiming the translated version to be unsatisfactory, he set to learning Finnish in order to engage the original source material, an effort which he declared left him “repulsed with heavy losses.”

Nonetheless, he remained thoroughly interested in crafting his own version of the tale, and in The Story of Kullervo, the earliest versions of many of the themes, naming conventions, and story elements of his later works can be seen. Close students of Tolkien’s books, and those published after his death by his son, Christopher Tolkien, will find plenty to enjoy here.

Being an unfinished work, it is a quick read, but editor Verlyn Flieger has supported the story deftly with insightful analyses of what is known of Tolkien’s early efforts, the source materials he used, and additional influences on his literary style. The bibliography is substantial, drawing upon all the sources one would suspect, along with scholarly journals, monographs, and at least one PhD dissertation. Indeed, Flieger’s bibliography amounts to a well-curated ‘further reading’ list and chances are if you are investigating this book, ‘further reading’ is exactly the sort of thing that interests you.

]]>Little Robothttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400828&blogid=1766
If, like me, you're thinking about Summer Reading at the Library then you might also be thinking about robots. And if you're thinking about robots, why not read stories with robots? Little Robot is a brief but pretty great graphic novel by Ben Hatke , creator of the New York Times bestselling Zita the Spacegir]]>BillC2016-06-06T18:59:46ZIf, like me, you're thinking about Summer Reading at the Library then you might also be thinking about robots. And if you're thinking about robots, why not read stories with robots? Little Robot is a brief but pretty great graphic novel by Ben Hatke, creator of the New York Times bestselling Zita the Spacegirl graphic novel trilogy.

Little Robot gets a little lost during delivery from the robot factory until being discovered by a youngster who turns out to be a good friend indeed. There's not a lot of text in this graphic novel set in the outdoors in a junkyard, a robot factory, and places in between. The rich illustrations and sparse text tell a story of curiosity, friendship, and redemption. Next up: The Wild Robot by Peter Brown.

]]>This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Díazhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400810&blogid=1766
&#160; &#160; &#160;I read&#160; This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz over the long holiday weekend. A friend asked me why I would bring such a sad sounding book on vacation after I had described the premise to him. The story was a bit sad, but I enjoyed it a lot. Yunior, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, i]]>ElyseM2016-06-02T12:01:01Z I read This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz over the long holiday weekend. A friend asked me why I would bring such a sad sounding book on vacation after I had described the premise to him. The story was a bit sad, but I enjoyed it a lot. Yunior, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, is the main character in the linked vignettes that focus on man-woman relationships, break-ups, cultural identity, and family issues. Other important characters include his mother, who struggles to find a sense of community and belonging in America; his brother Rafa, who outshines Yunior in most regards; his father, the stern disciplinarian from his childhood; and of course, numerous girlfriends.

I appreciated Yunior's modern, honest, and sometimes sarcastic perspective as he stumbles through life. He is almost always the cause of his own suffering, but I still liked him and hoped that he would find happiness by learning from his mistakes. I would give this book an "R" rating because of strong language and sexual themes, so if that offends you, stay away. If that doesn't bother you, than this book is worth your time.

]]>Some Assembly Required(1)http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400800&blogid=1766
In this captivating and honest memoir, Arin Andrews tells his story of being born in the wrong body. Growing up trapped in the body of a girl, knowing it didn't feel right, Arin struggles with his Christian school, living in the bible belt, and trying to bridge the rift between he and his mom, as he transitions from Em]]>KirstenJ2016-05-31T17:18:15Z]]>Puppets from some of everything!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400799&blogid=1766
&#160;To say that Ashley Bryan has been around for many years is
an understatement. After all, he is only 92. His work has been recognized by
many and he has been the recipient of many awards. The book Ashley Bryan’spuppets: making something from everything is not only full of amazing, clever
and unique puppe]]>JudiR2016-05-31T16:36:28Z To say that Ashley Bryan has been around for many years is
an understatement. After all, he is only 92. His work has been recognized by
many and he has been the recipient of many awards. The book Ashley Bryan’spuppets: making something from everything is not only full of amazing, clever
and unique puppets but also full of great and thoughtful prose.

Ashley Bryan grew up in NYC during the depression. He and
his sister started salvaging for things they could reuse at a young age. He
made his first puppet at age eleven. His puppets are made from tangled fishing
nets, weathered bones, sea glass, and driftwood….whatever else he can find. He sees
possibilities in all things. His characters and poems include Anansi: the
trickster and storyteller, Kwesi: conquering strength (who looks like an
elephant) and Animata: good character (made of shells and an upside down champagne
glass as a crown).

I wish I could share every amazing and unique picture. But
that would get me into trouble so I will suggest that you read this or one of
his other fantastic books and you’ll see what I mean.

]]>Lose Yourself In a Bookhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400790&blogid=1766
As I get older, I retain less and less of what I read. Sometimes I find it hard to even recall storylines or important parts of books from things I’m currently reading when people ask me. However, Rebecca Solnit , a writer I discovered about three years ago, has related stories and created images that have stuck ]]>Steve S2016-05-28T10:58:20ZAs I get older, I retain less and less of what I read. Sometimes I find it hard to even recall storylines or important parts of books from things I’m currently reading when people ask me. However, Rebecca Solnit, a writer I discovered about three years ago, has related stories and created images that have stuck in my mind. Not all she has to say resonates with me, but there has always been something that catches my imagination and carves its message into my not so malleable memory.

In A Field Guide to Getting Lost, her meditation on different ways of being lost or losing ourselves, I was moved by her description of 16th century Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca’s transformation as he gets lost in Florida and over a decade later arrives in New Mexico and finally meets up with other Spaniards, only to find he has very little in common with them anymore or with who he was ten years before.

Pick up a Rebecca Solnit book and get lost in it. Somewhere in there you will find a treasure.

]]>Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood by bell hookshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400767&blogid=1766
&#160; &#160;bell hooks'&#160; Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood &#160;is an odd book. It’s nonfiction but it reads like
a novel. It focuses on hooks’ childhood, but each brief chapter can be
savored as an individual short story. hooks grew up in a home with several
sisters and one brother, but feeling like an outsi]]>ElyseM2016-05-25T15:41:12Z bell hooks' Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood is an odd book. It’s nonfiction but it reads like
a novel. It focuses on hooks’ childhood, but each brief chapter can be
savored as an individual short story. hooks grew up in a home with several
sisters and one brother, but feeling like an outsider rather than a member of the
family. She was curious about taboo topics like death, race, marriage, sexuality,
and gender roles, but she could not discuss these subjects openly with anyone.

Only one of her grandmothers and her grandfather understood
her. Her parents punished her for talking back, warned her that too much
reading would drive her crazy, concerned themselves with her lack of interest
in boys, then worried about her interest in the wrong boys, and fretted that
she would become “funny” (their word for homosexual). Her sisters disliked and
excluded her, and her friendship with her brother dissolved as he matured.
Despite these shaky relationships, she found mentorship in a pastor, a teacher, and others
who encouraged her to embrace her individuality. Her love of reading also
inspired her, and she became a poet, and eventually the famous academic and
author the world knows her as today.

This was the first time I read hooks for leisure instead of
as part of an academic assignment, and I sped through Bone Black. This book is a nice entry point to get to know hooks’ character
and her writing. Her most notorious work is Killing
Rage but I am happy to have read Bone
Black first to see how her experiences during childhood contributed to her perspective
as an adult.

]]>Lily and the Octopushttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400764&blogid=1766
I've been thinking lately about having a dog again sometime in the future. So as soon as I came across this title in my review of upcoming adult fiction titles, I decided I'd put a hold on it myself. Lily is a 12-year-old dachshund with a brain tumor that her owner, Ted, as a way of coping with the prognosis, decides t]]>KarenT2016-05-25T10:23:06ZThe Art of Racing in the Rain. According to Kirkus Reviews, "[i]n his funny, ardent, and staunchly kooky way, Rowley expresses exactly what it's like to love a dog."]]>Weekends with Daisyhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400750&blogid=1766
Sharron Kahn Luttrell had self-diagnosed CDD (Canine Deficit Disorder) when she chose to volunteer as a weekend puppy raiser for NEAD S in their Prison Pup Partnership program. During the week, the puppy, Daisy, was raised and trained by Keith, an inmate dog handler at a nearby prison. On weekends Daisy stayed wit]]>Christine2016-05-24T11:44:37ZNEADS in their Prison Pup Partnership program. During the week, the puppy, Daisy, was raised and trained by Keith, an inmate dog handler at a nearby prison. On weekends Daisy stayed with Luttrell’s family. Here Sharron gradually introduced Daisy to many experiences she could not get inside the prison as part of Daisy’s training to become a service dog.

Though Luttrell was the puppy’s primary trainer on the weekends, the whole family fell in love with her. Sharon found that her parenting skills and insights grew as she focused on training Daisy. The dog helped her bridge gaps between her and her oldest child, Aviva. Her son, the most eager family member to meet Daisy, accompanied his mom to several of the pup’s training events.

The author illustrated the value of this program to the prisoners who participate. Training the puppies helps them develop a positive relationship with another living being. They have to provide constant care, patience and consistency throughout the week. The experience builds self-esteem for the inmate dog handlers, as they watch the puppies learn and succeed, knowing their efforts will make a difference for someone else, if the puppy becomes a service dog. Luttrell sometimes fantasized about how it would be, if Daisy were to fail the rigorous testing to become a service dog, for as the weekend trainer, her family could have ‘first dibs’ on adopting Daisy. As she grew to know Keith better, however, she became properly motivated to improve Daisy’s weekend training and ensure her success as a service dog. Her motivation came not just because it was the right thing to do, but also because she cared about Keith and wanted his success, too.

]]>The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappearedhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400745&blogid=1766
&#160; &#160; &#160;This immensely popular book by Jonas Jonasson alternates between the present life of Swedish centenarian Allan Karlsson and the timeline of his long life up until then. On the day of his 100th birthday, dreading the party planned for him at the Old Folks Home, he simply walks away. He goes to the b]]>ElyseM2016-05-23T15:24:08Z This immensely popular book by Jonas Jonasson alternates between the present life of Swedish centenarian Allan Karlsson and the timeline of his long life up until then. On the day of his 100th birthday, dreading the party planned for him at the Old Folks Home, he simply walks away. He goes to the bus station, and while there he waits for a bus that will take him as far as he can get with the money on him, and that will leave as soon as possible so as to avoid being caught by Director Alice of the Old Folks Home. As he waits, this punk type reluctantly asks him to watch his suitcase while he uses the restroom. And what does Allan do, but take the suitcase with him onto the bus, unaware of the surprising contents!

This sets a funny, dangerous, wonderful chain of events into motion that more and more people become involved with as the story progresses. Allan’s past is even more interesting than his present, and even more full of perilous and amusing twists and turns. He meets Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Tse-tung, among other famous historical figures. The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared was a joy to read from start to finish, and I highly recommend it. It will definitely be admired by readers who appreciate adventure, quirky/dark humor, and outlandish situations.

]]>Cecil’s Everlasting Roarhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400740&blogid=1766
When Cecil the lion was killed in July 2015, the event precipitated a huge outpouring of grief, anger and disgust among people from all over the world. Cecil was a protected lion who was lured out of his safe haven, the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, Africa, by native hunting guides for the express purpose of letti]]>TeresaM-R2016-05-23T08:38:00ZWhen Cecil the lion was killed in July 2015, the event precipitated a huge outpouring of grief, anger and disgust among people from all over the world. Cecil was a protected lion who was lured out of his safe haven, the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, Africa, by native hunting guides for the express purpose of letting Walter Palmer, a Minnesota dentist by vocation and a misguided, self-styled big game hunter by avocation, shoot him dead. Cecil was killed in cold blood only to satisfy an American dentist’s craving to be surrounded by dead animal trophies.Shortly after the news of Cecil’s demise spread, numerous protests erupted led by conservation groups, animal advocates and just common folks. The anger and sadness resonated and lingered on for more than a month after the careless killing.

However, one positive outcome was a huge surge in donations for animal conservation efforts. Even celebrities such as Jimmy Kimmel spoke out against the senseless slaughter and helped raise over $150,000 to aid preservation. Jane Goodall the world renowned primatologist simply stated, “I have no words to express my repugnance.”

The authors of Cecil’s Pride: The True Story of a Lion King are a father and his two daughters, the Hatkoffs. They wrote this children’s book not to dwell on his sudden and inhumane death, but rather to celebrate through narrative a life that was well lived. Photographs by Cecil’s human friend Brent Stapelkamp, underscore the beauty and fullness of his time on earth. Taken over the course of nine years, Brent, a wildlife researcher, tracked, and documented Cecil as he wandered about in the forests and plains of Hwange Park.

Since lions defend their pride and territory against other lions who challenge them, it was known that Cecil was challenged by a long-time rival named Jericho. They fought to see who would gain control. But when other male lions started moving into their domain, something unusual happened; Cecil and Jericho formed an alliance against the interlopers!

After Cecil’s sudden death, it was feared that Jericho would either abandon or kill Cecil’s cubs to start his own family, which is usually the case when the male head of the pride dies. However, in this case another astonishing turn of events came to be when Jericho took in Cecil’s cubs to raise them as his own.

This is a wonderfully touching true story with vivid photos that proclaims that Cecil’s legacy will live on.

Facts about lions as well as the global impact of Cecil’s death are included. New laws and regulations about illegal hunting of lions as well as other endangered species is a hopeful sign that conservation efforts will improve and protect these majestic animals. But as is usually the case, only time will tell if they still have a chance.

]]>Shrill!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400733&blogid=1766
I became a fan of Lindy West’s during her time as a writer for the popular feminist blog Jezebel.&#160; She’s wildly funny and writes honestly about topics such as feminism, body image, and abortion.&#160; Shrill , her first book, had me cracking up—sometimes in public, which is an embarrassing situation if you’re ]]>CaitlinH2016-05-20T16:17:28ZI became a fan of Lindy West’s during her time as a writer for the popular feminist blog Jezebel. She’s wildly funny and writes honestly about topics such as feminism, body image, and abortion. Shrill, her first book, had me cracking up—sometimes in public, which is an embarrassing situation if you’re sitting in a coffee shop by yourself and suddenly start laughing out loud. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any Millennial looking for a laugh alongside insightful commentary on life for young women today.]]>Caddie Woodlawnhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400732&blogid=1766
This historical pioneer fiction novel for children takes place in Western Wisconsin during the 1860s. It is a story about eleven year old Caddie (Caroline Augusta) Woodlawn who lives with her parents John and Harriet and six siblings. Caddlie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink, is based on the true story of her grandmoth]]>AmyChase2016-05-20T16:02:00ZThe Woodlawn’s moved from Boston seven years earlier, but Mr. Woodlawn was born and raised in England. Caddie is a tomboy and she hangs out with Tom, who is two years older and Warren, who is two years younger, all three are red-headed like their father. They are three jolly comrades in search of adventure in frosty weather or sunshine. She has an elder sister Clara and younger sister Hettie who prefer to stay at home and help mother with quilting or sewing or jelly making. Minnie and Baby Joe complete the family. Another child, little Mary, had died after they came from Boston, and daddy tried an experiment whereby he wanted little Caddie to run wild with the boys. “Don’t keep her in the house learning to be a lady. I would rather see her learn to plow than make samplers, if she can get her health by doing so. I believe it is worth trying.” (p.15). Uncle Edmund from St. Louis arrived on the Little Steamer which came up the Monomonie River once a week as far as Dunnville. Its arrival was a great event, for all the letters from the East and all the news from the great world, most of the visitors and strangers and supplies, came up the river on the Little Steamer. The Little Steamer travels down the Monomonie River to the Chippewa, down the Chippewa to the Mississippi, down the Mississipi to St. Louis. In 1935 this adventurous book was awarded the John Newbery Medal for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.There are many events and characters who bring the story alive. Some of the people in the story are: Mr. Tanner, the Circuit Rider; Uncle Edmund from St. Louis, Cousin Annabelle from Boston; Indian John and his dog; Miss Parker the teacher at the one room schoolhouse, and of course, the school children, and the Woodhouse family dog, Nero the sheepdog.]]>Joseph's Big Ridehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400725&blogid=1766
&#160; When Joseph and
his mother make the long journey from a refugee camp in Kenya to America, he
brings along his fascination with bicycles. &#160;&#160; Although there is much about &#160; his new neighborhood that Joseph doesn’t
understand, he does know a good bike when he sees one. &#160; Joseph’s
B]]>Susan2016-05-20T12:25:39ZWhen Joseph and
his mother make the long journey from a refugee camp in Kenya to America, he
brings along his fascination with bicycles. Although there is much abouthis new neighborhood that Joseph doesn’t
understand, he does know a good bike when he sees one.Joseph’s
Big Ride is a story about making new friends, trying something different,
and the simple joy of riding a bike.

]]>The dreams our stuff is made ofhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400722&blogid=1766
I came to this book through a small blurb I read awhile back in Wired magazine reporting that business magnate-engineer-investor Elon Musk naming his SpaceX drone spaceships after sentient spacecraft from the sci-fi novels of Iain M. Banks. When I read that those names didn’t adhere to your typical spacecraft namin]]>mykyl2016-05-19T17:17:52ZWired magazine reporting that business magnate-engineer-investor Elon Musk naming his SpaceX drone spaceships after sentient spacecraft from the sci-fi novels of Iain M. Banks. When I read that those names didn’t adhere to your typical spacecraft naming conventions but instead had the provocative names 'Just Read the Instructions' and 'Of Course I Still Love You', I was intrigued and needed to find out more about Iain M. Banks and his brand of science fiction. I began with Player of Games, the second title in Bank’s series of interrelated but not necessarily sequential Culture Novels. It blew me away, and now I will read all ten novels the Banks wrote before his untimely death in 2013. Bank’s presents a vision of a far future society, called simply the Culture, in which humans and humanoids live symbiotically with highly evolved AI and technology so advanced as to create a post-scarcity economy in which everything desired is available for free with no need for work, or laws, or many rules of any kind. It is a wildly inventive concept and so much fun to read. Truly brilliant stuff!]]>Not All Comic Book Characters Wear Capeshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400718&blogid=1766
Graphic novels have a reputation for being all about
superheroes and explosions, but they can be a really great format to tell more
nuanced stories as well. I’d like to shine a spotlight on two evocative,
character-focused, slice-of-life stories that really shine in a graphic novel
format.
The first is a manga ]]>MilanH2016-05-19T14:58:57ZGraphic novels have a reputation for being all about
superheroes and explosions, but they can be a really great format to tell more
nuanced stories as well. I’d like to shine a spotlight on two evocative,
character-focused, slice-of-life stories that really shine in a graphic novel
format.

The first is a manga called Solanin by Inio Asano. The story
follows Meiko, a recent college grad, and her friends a group of 20-somethings
living in the background of a Japanese city. Over the course of the summer they
grapple with all of the challenges of new adulthood: starting careers, finding
their purpose in life, and how to break it to their parents that they’ve moved
in with their boyfriend. Though the characters are Japanese, the themes are
universal. Solanin is a novel with fantastic art work, and a story that will
stay with me for a long time.

The second graphic novel is called Token by Alisa Kwitney,
with illustrations by Joelle Jones. Token is a story about fifteen year old
Shira Spektor, living in Miami, Florida in 1987. She lives with her father in
an apartment building on South Beach, and spends most of her time with her best
friend, a spunky 80-year-old woman who shoots straight from the hip. When her
father starts dating his secretary, and the girls at school turn decidedly
nasty, Shira turns to shoplifting. Just when she feels that there’s no one she
can talk to, she meets a tall handsome stranger. She is falling in love for the
first time just as everything else in her life seems to be falling apart. Token
is fun, flirty, and timeless.

Both books have a lazy summer vibe perfect for the upcoming
warmer months.

]]>A Knight of the Seven Kingdomshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400715&blogid=1766
For the last six years or so, it has been more or less impossible to avoid hearing discussions concerning the HBO series Game of Thrones , and most have probably heard enough to determine for themselves whether or not it’s their cup of tea. In the case of those who have become captivated by (read: obsessed with)]]>PatrickJ2016-05-19T13:33:56ZGame of Thrones, and most have probably heard enough to determine for themselves whether or not it’s their cup of tea.

In the case of those who have become captivated by (read: obsessed with) the show and left wanting during the between-season stretch from July to April each year, the obvious solution has been to turn their attention to George R.R. Martin’s gritty and compelling magnum opus A Song of Ice and Fire, currently consisting of five novels off which the show is based. Many will be delighted to discover that these works tend to weigh in around 700+ pages each, meaning all that much more time to spend enthralled in the exploits of their favorite characters as conflicts rage across Westeros and Essos.

For those who balk at that task, which is no small feat, yet still want to experience the canonical story elements sidelined, re-imagined, or omitted entirely by the show, I cannot recommend the audiobook versions of these books enough. This was my chosen method for getting myself up to speed so I could safely engage with online resources free of the dread feeling that I was about to stumble upon some devastating spoiler.

Since publishing the fifth entry in the seven book series in 2011 (which was only a year after the show began its run) Martin has been working on the sixth installment entitled The Winds of Winter. He had initially expressed his wishes via blog post to hand the book to his publisher by Halloween of 2015. That date was later revised to the end of the calendar year. Then it was to be finished by the premiere of the sixth season of Game of Thrones. In January of this year, he revised his stance again saying, “It will be done when it’s done.”

Fans are understandably anxious for the next book. The internet is full of angst over the idea that Martin may pass away before he’s able to finish the next two books- never mind that this is a human being we’re talking about- the books! YouTube videos have been made pleading for more news and sample chapters. Songs have been written. Guitars have been smashed.

For better or worse, Martin is not a single-minded automaton. He’s been busy attending conventions, working on the HBO show, living his life, and even working on other books. He recently published a three-part prequel novella collection entitled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which takes place approximately one hundred years prior to the events in the other books in the series, and chronicles the exploits of the young hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, or Dunk, and his precocious squire, Egg.

The general tone tends to be bit more light-hearted than that of previous books in the series which many may find refreshing. A further departure from those works can be seen in the static point of view, told entirely from Dunk’s perspective as opposed to a rotating cast of characters. In both of these ways, it’s a bit like the Hobbit when compared to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Martin’s fans will find plenty to enjoy in the era of relative peace that preceded Robert’s Rebellion and the War of the Five Kings, and it’s a perfect distraction for those who are anxiously biding their time and waiting for the next bit of news concerning the coming of winter.]]>Reading Without Walls and Surfer of the Centuryhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400714&blogid=1766
Gene Luen Yang , National Ambassador for Young People's Literature for 2015-2016, issued a challenge to readers called Reading Without Walls. Yang writes on his blog : "I want every kid - every reader, really - to explore the world through books. Books have played a vital role in getting me outside of my comfort z]]>AngelaF2016-05-19T13:08:18ZGene Luen Yang, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature for 2015-2016, issued a challenge to readers called Reading Without Walls. Yang writes on his blog:

"I want every kid - every reader, really - to explore the world through books. Books have played a vital role in getting me outside of my comfort zone. I believe they can do the same for you. As National Ambassador, I issue you a challenge! I challenge you to read without walls in one of three ways:1. Read a book about a character who doesn't look like you or live like you.2. Read a book about a topic you don't know much about.3. Read a book in a format that you don't normally read for fun. This might be a chapter book, a graphic novel, a book in verse, a picture book, or a hybrid book.If you really want to go for the gold star, read a book that fits all three criteria! When you finish, take a photo of you and the book (or just the book if you're shy) and post it on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #ReadingWithoutWalls. You'll inspire others to do the same!"

This challenge inspired me to finally read a book I'd checked out, but hadn't opened yet. I initially picked up the picture book Surfer of the Century: The Life of Duke Kahanamoku because I thought the cover illustration looked nice and I didn't know much about surfing. I'd never heard Duke Kahanamoku's name before and knew nothing about his story. Kahanamoku lived a truly incredible and inspiring life. He won six Olympic medals for swimming, introduced the Hawaiian sport of surfing to people throughout the world, acted in over ten films during the 1920s and 1930s, and served as Honolulu's sheriff for 26 years.

In 1960, Kahanamoku was appointed Hawaii's official Ambassador of Aloha. He said, "In Hawaii we greet friends, loved ones or strangers with Aloha, which means with love. Aloha is the key word to the universal spirit of real hospitality, which makes Hawaii renowned as the world's center of understanding and fellowship. Try meeting or leaving people with Aloha. You'll be surprised by their reaction. I believe it and this is my creed. Aloha to you."

Kahanamoku was born in Honolulu in 1890, before the United States' illegal annexation of Hawaii. He passed away in 1968, nearly a decade after Hawaii became the fiftieth state. This book and his story showed me how little I know about the history of Hawaii, and now I can't wait to learn more.

Thanks to simple yet evocative line drawings on every page, it's a quick read, especially because it is a collection of very short anecdotes and seemingly inconsequential details that somehow can take on a feeling of significance in a child's mind.

Many of the details are familiar to my own childhood--an unused milk box by the front door, L'eggs pantyhose containers, and making ashtrays in school to give to one's parents are just a few. They are mostly the sorts of things I would never think important enough to mention in telling my own story, yet strung together they create a vivid and amazingly specific illustration of a particular family which is humorous, excruciating, and full of love.

]]>Through my window : the classic multicultural children's bookhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400696&blogid=1766
As a cataloger at KPL, one of my jobs is to add subject headings to records so people can find books in the online catalog. Lately, I've been extra-careful to remember to add subject headings such as " African Americans Juvenile Fiction " to the appropriate book records in the catalog because as you may know, children]]>KristenL2016-05-17T12:02:03ZAs a cataloger at KPL, one of my jobs is to add subject headings to records so people can find books in the online catalog. Lately, I've been extra-careful to remember to add subject headings such as "African Americans Juvenile Fiction" to the appropriate book records in the catalog because as you may know, children's books with African American and other ethnic-background characters are lacking in our society, and I want people to be able to find the books we DO have easily with an online search.

]]>There is a tribe of kidshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400678&blogid=1766
Lane Smith should prepare for another Caldecott Award, in my opinion. &#160; There is a tribe of kids tells a refreshing story of a young boy who is looking for "his tribe." &#160;He encounters the natural world and plenty of animals along his travels. &#160;This picture book is beautifully illustrated and provides]]>KalaL2016-05-13T15:18:19ZLane Smith should prepare for another Caldecott Award, in my opinion. There is a tribe of kids tells a refreshing story of a young boy who is looking for "his tribe." He encounters the natural world and plenty of animals along his travels. This picture book is beautifully illustrated and provides readers plenty of opportunities to tell their own story as they move through the pages. The publisher has also provided activities to accompany the story.

]]>Vargic's Miscellany of Curious Maps: Mapping the Modern Worldhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400648&blogid=1766
I've read a lot of books in my life, but I have never seen a book quite like this. Martin Vargic is an artist who is interested in how maps can convey information. He draws original maps not just of the physical world as it is, but of abstract concepts such as the Map of the Internet , and the Map of Literature . Ea]]>AmyAH2016-05-10T16:34:59ZI've read a lot of books in my life, but I have never seen a book quite like this. Martin Vargic is an artist who is interested in how maps can convey information. He draws original maps not just of the physical world as it is, but of abstract concepts such as the Map of the Internet, and the Map of Literature. Each map includes an astonishing amount of detail and information, but at the same time is a work of art.

In addition to the abstract maps, he also includes world maps that highlight diverse aspects of the world, such as obesity, the probability of being struck by lightening, and metal bands per capita (Finland has the most).

This is a book that, if you let it, will take up hours of your time just looking at the details. Truly a strange and unique work of art.

]]>This Raging Lighthttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400640&blogid=1766
The best books offer a window into the lives of others through which we can learn and discover. They also offer a mirror through which we can see ourselves more clearly. &#160; This Raging Light &#160;by Estelle Laure is a recent teen favorite of mine that features the mental health of it's chracters. Seventeen-]]>AndreaV2016-05-09T20:51:05ZThe best books offer a window into the lives of others through which we can learn and discover. They also offer a mirror through which we can see ourselves more clearly.This Raging Light by Estelle Laure is a recent teen favorite of mine that features the mental health of it's chracters. Seventeen-year-old Lucille is left alone with her little sister to struggle through each day, paying bills and going to school. Her father is institutionalized after a breakdown and her mother is "on vacation", maybe permanently. Lucille is forced to grow up faster than she expected and to learn to rely on others and accept their limitations. She is ultimately triumphant, learning much about forgiveness, grace, and her own strength.

]]>The Girl in the Well is Mehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400634&blogid=1766
Eleven year old Kammie, having just moved to a new town with her mom and brother, wants to start a new life but finds herself stuck down an old abandoned well. In an effort to get in with the most popular girls in her new school, she is subjected to harsh initiation rites so she can be the fourth in their exclusive cl]]>BillC2016-05-09T10:58:12ZEleven year old Kammie, having just moved to a new town with her mom and brother, wants to start a new life but finds herself stuck down an old abandoned well. In an effort to get in with the most popular girls in her new school, she is subjected to harsh initiation rites so she can be the fourth in their exclusive club (or so she thought). Kammie relates her experience and also how her life has changed. What’s gotten her to this Nowheresville town, as she calls it? What follows in The Girl in the Well is Me, as oxygen deprived Kammie hallucinates a French speaking coyote, zombie goats, and thinks about her situation, both immediate and overall, is an uplifting story of a tough girl sorting out her sense of self after some huge changes in her family – and hoping to survive being stuck down a well.

]]>An Early Favorite for 2016http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400633&blogid=1766
It’s not even mid-year but it is likely The Last Painting of Sara de Vos will be one of my top ten fiction books of the year.
Three continents, three centuries, three lives are linked by a rare 17th century painting. Add in art forgery, death, deception, and love from the Dutch countryside in the 1600s to an a]]>AnnR2016-05-06T16:07:47ZIt’s not even mid-year but it is likely The Last Painting of Sara de Vos will be one of my top ten fiction books of the year.

Three continents, three centuries, three lives are linked by a rare 17th century painting. Add in art forgery, death, deception, and love from the Dutch countryside in the 1600s to an art collector in New York City in the 1950s to an art scholar in Sydney, Australia in 2000 for an enthralling novel.

Although there are no illustrations, I can see in my mind the painting in question, “At the End of the Wood,” from the vivid description.

I’m recommending this book to all my reading friends. Look for it on my “Best of 2016” list in the late fall.

]]>The Engineering Bookhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400622&blogid=1766
When I read the title of this 2015 book I almost went on to something else. That was until I read the subtitle: From the Catapult to the Curiosity Rover, 250 Milestones in the History of Engineering. This book represents an intersection of history and science and would be suitable for anyone with an interest in eithe]]>David D.2016-05-04T20:08:04ZFrom the Catapult to the Curiosity Rover, 250 Milestones in the History of Engineering. This book represents an intersection of history and science and would be suitable for anyone with an interest in either or both. Beginning in earliest times and continuing through thousands of years into the future, author Marshall Brain (an appropriate last name, in my opinion), gives one page of narrative and one photograph for each of the 250 milestones. He uses a strict chronological approach so it's easy to see the progression of technological advances over time. Many of these inventions and landmarks were produced earlier than I would have thought. For example, plastic is listed under 1856, air conditioning in 1902, cell phones and RFID tags in 1983, and 3D printers in 1984. An interesting one for our area is the entry for 1835, which is about the combine harvester as invented by Hiram Moore, a resident of southern Kalamazoo County. An 1846 Kalamazoo Gazette article discusses this in further detail. The photographs are excellent choices, like the Chef Boy-Ar-Dee ad for frozen pizza as the entry for 1957. I think this is yet another splendid KPL acquisition that will inspire me to get my own copy.]]>Lea Leads the Wayhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400619&blogid=1766
In this book, Lea Leads the Way , Lea is still in Brazil with her family. The plan for the next portion of the trip was for the whole family to visit the rainforest where Zac is living and going to school. However since her Dad’s hiking accident, he is unable to continue traveling. The family decides that Lea a]]>nancyds2016-05-04T11:14:18ZIn this book, Lea Leads the Way, Lea is still in Brazil with her family. The plan for the next portion of the trip was for the whole family to visit the rainforest where Zac is living and going to school. However since her Dad’s hiking accident, he is unable to continue traveling. The family decides that Lea and Zac will continue on without Mom and Dad.

Lea is set for an animal adventure. She has never been to the rainforest before and she is excited to be traveling with Zac and visiting his host family who live in the middle of the rainforest. She loves taking photographs with the camera her Grandmother gave her. She is especially hopeful of capturing the wildlife in the rainforest in photos. While Lea is on her trip, she is writing a blog and posting pictures so that her classmates from school can follow her trip. During a hike with Zac, they discover a baby sloth that is badly injured. Lea decides to do all she can to help the little sloth survive. Zac knows about a wildlife sanctuary and they take the baby sloth there for care. As Lea learns more about the rainforest and what is happening to the area, including poaching of the wildlife, she wonders if she did the right thing.

This is another interesting American Girl series. Readers will enjoy the locale and facts about Brazil and the culture.

]]>Asian Pacific American Heritage Monthhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400618&blogid=1766
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and unwittingly I happen to be reading two books perfect for the occasion.
&#160; Participating in The Global Reading Challenge , I learned of The Turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye , which tells the story of Aref, a 3rd grader who will soon be moving from Oma]]>Steve S2016-05-04T09:57:01ZMay is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and unwittingly I happen to be reading two books perfect for the occasion.

Participating in The Global Reading Challenge, I learned of The Turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye, which tells the story of Aref, a 3rd grader who will soon be moving from Oman to Ann Arbor, Michigan so his parents can attend graduate school. Each morning, I read a little bit of it to my 10 year old daughter and we learn about Oman as Aref and his grandfather travel around the country, collecting memories and attempting to comfort and sooth Aref’s fears about moving to Michigan.

In addition, I’m listening to The Three Year Swim Club by Julie Checkoway. This book tells the story of poverty stricken Japanese-American children living in Maui and Soichi Sakamoto who has the dream of turning them into Olympic champions. Through incredibly difficult circumstances and training routines, they become world class swimmers, but the world events of the late 1930s and early 1940s change their lives drastically.

Take some time this month to learn something new about Asian or Pacific Islander culture or both.

]]>Life Reimaginedhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400606&blogid=1766
This title &#160;and its subtitle--The science, art, and opportunity of midlife--caught my eye as soon as I read about it. This is a book that speaks directly to me and one that I expect will provide countless pearls of wisdom. Written by a veteran NPR commentator who spent two years talking to psychologists, biolo]]>KarenT2016-05-03T15:06:34ZThis title and its subtitle--The science, art, and opportunity of midlife--caught my eye as soon as I read about it. This is a book that speaks directly to me and one that I expect will provide countless pearls of wisdom. Written by a veteran NPR commentator who spent two years talking to psychologists, biologists, neurologists, and sociologists about this phase of life—midlife—that, as she puts it, “has gotten a bum rap. It has suffered guilt by association, linked inextricably to the ‘c’ word: crisis.” Instead, what she learns during her intense exploration is that midlife is, in fact, a time of great opportunity. Chapters address such topics as brain research; the importance of friends and even long-term romance; dealing with inevitable medical conditions; and finding a purpose. Library Journal Review declares that “This work is a joyous reminder that the middle years can be satisfying, resilient and significant.”

I can’t wait to jump in!

]]>Samira and the Skeletonshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400602&blogid=1766
Today, Samira learned that there is a skeleton inside
her! &#160; Yes, a real skeleton with bones and
everything. &#160; Her teacher says, “Just look
at your lovely teeth! &#160; That’s your
skeleton peeping out of your mouth.” Yikes! &#160;
&#160; This is a terrible situation . .
. that skeleton e]]>Susan2016-05-03T07:57:18ZToday, Samira learned that there is a skeleton inside
her!Yes, a real skeleton with bones and
everything.Her teacher says, “Just look
at your lovely teeth!That’s your
skeleton peeping out of your mouth.” Yikes!This is a terrible situation . .
. that skeleton even goes to gym class with her, where Samira has to “run here,
run there, jump and hop around and climb and do a somersault—with a body full
of bones!”Samira and the Skeletons is a great blend of humor and science; you
can find it in the “Growing Up” neighborhood of picture books.

]]>Another great Sally Spencer mystery!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400595&blogid=1766
A young mother is found dead, one of her children is missing. DCI Monika Paniatowski has just returned to work after maternity leave. Her nurturing disposition makes her vulnerable and the plight of the children sends her in directions she wouldn’t normally go.
Thicker than Water is another great myster]]>JudiR2016-04-29T22:17:11ZA young mother is found dead, one of her children is missing. DCI Monika Paniatowski has just returned to work after maternity leave. Her nurturing disposition makes her vulnerable and the plight of the children sends her in directions she wouldn’t normally go.

Thicker than Water is another great mystery by Sally Spencer. Monika has become as likable as Inspector Woodend once was. The story is engaging and suspenseful. I couldn’t put it down.

]]>The Princess and the Ponyhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400594&blogid=1766
For a story that's laugh-out-loud funny, adventurous and definitely not your typical princess story, check out Kate Beaton's, The Princess and the Pony . The story features a princess who wishes to be a great warrior wishing for a strong, heroic pony for her birthday. What she gets instead is a small, round-ish pony. ]]>AndreaV2016-04-29T18:34:35ZThe Princess and the Pony. The story features a princess who wishes to be a great warrior wishing for a strong, heroic pony for her birthday. What she gets instead is a small, round-ish pony. Booklist calls it "the perfect combination of heartwarming and hilarious." It's a book that adults love to read and kids love to hear read!]]>Lonnie Johnson -- inventor of the Super Soaker!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400566&blogid=1766
If you have kids (or were ever one), chances are, you’ve encountered a Super Soaker water gun. Well, I just found out who invented it! In the book Whoosh ! by Chris Barton , you will learn about Lonnie Johnson, an African-American NASA engineer and inventor who accidentally invented the Super Soaker while tryin]]>KristenL2016-04-28T12:26:41ZIf you have kids (or were ever one), chances are, you’ve encountered a Super Soaker water gun. Well, I just found out who invented it! In the book Whoosh! by Chris Barton, you will learn about Lonnie Johnson, an African-American NASA engineer and inventor who accidentally invented the Super Soaker while trying to solve a problem with refrigerators and air conditioners.

]]>Green Islandhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400543&blogid=1766
Green Island is a sweeping story of Taiwan from 1947 to 2003 told through the lives of three generations of the Tsai family.
Dr. Tsai is a respected, wealthy doctor. When he speaks out after the February 28 Massacre, the anti-government uprising, his life and that of his family is changed forever.
The story]]>AnnR2016-04-25T15:28:10ZGreen Island is a sweeping story of Taiwan from 1947 to 2003 told through the lives of three generations of the Tsai family.

Dr. Tsai is a respected, wealthy doctor. When he speaks out after the February 28 Massacre, the anti-government uprising, his life and that of his family is changed forever.

The story is told from the perspective of his youngest daughter, born as the story begins. As she grows up and eventually moves to California, she is still witness to her father’s legacy and a husband who also speaks his mind. The family scars have lingered.

This is a moving, well-written story of family, betrayal, and survival. It is also a good introduction to the Chinese Nationalists who were overthrown by the Chinese Communists after World War II and Chiang Kai-Shek.

This story stayed with me long after I finished reading. To me, that is a true compelling story.

]]>One Terrific Treehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400540&blogid=1766
Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book is a visually stunning children’s rhyming book that has a wise, all-seeing owl tell the tale of a forest tree as the seasons change. Sitting inside the tree’s trunk, the owl first portrays winter, where “...all is still, gripped by winter’s icy chill”. Soon thereafter, snow is seen m]]>TeresaM-R2016-04-24T14:46:10ZTree: A Peek-Through Picture Book is a visually stunning children’s rhyming book that has a wise, all-seeing owl tell the tale of a forest tree as the seasons change. Sitting inside the tree’s trunk, the owl first portrays winter, where “...all is still, gripped by winter’s icy chill”. Soon thereafter, snow is seen melting and a family of foxes, together with some bear cubs come out to play. As spring progresses, the leaves are growing, a breeze is blowing, the squirrels are scampering here and there, and the forest is covered with fragrant flowers.Next, summer arrives and the sun shines intensely. The bees and birds enjoy the warm days and when come the nights, the stars shine bright. Fall follows with it’s changes. The weather turns cooler, ripe fruit tumble off an apple tree, autumn leaves turn red and gold, and animals gather and store food for the inevitable arrival of winter.

The seasons have all come and gone, Snow has fallen, sun has shone. Owl sees the first new buds appear, And so begins another year

A winning, poetic book that is guaranteed to astound,Preschool children all the year round!]]>If it's not one thing, it's your Motherhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400532&blogid=1766
Don’t you love reading or listening to something you never want to end? Ok, sure, it’s not fun when it finally does, but it’s cool that it was so good you didn’t want it to be over. Ah, well, such is life! And such was the case for me with listening to If It’s not one Thing, It’s your Mother. Julia Sweeney reads he]]>Christine2016-04-22T15:20:08ZIf It’s not one Thing, It’s your Mother. Julia Sweeney reads her own writing, and she puts such life into her thoughts, her storytelling, other people’s voices. She’s funny, thoughtful, compassionate, honest.Apparently she wrote this book in the space of a month. (How does somebody do that?!) During that time, her daughter and husband were both away on other ventures. She starts off relishing the time to herself and by the end, can't wait one more minute till they’ve returned. In between, we (dear readers) hear about how she became a single mother, how later she and Mulan and her husband,Michael, became a family, how she juggles career decisions with other life issues…and just other cool life stuff.Truth be told, it was the funny title which drew me in. Then it was Sweeney’s funny, interesting way of writing and narrating her essays which kept me engaged. Until, sadly, the book ended.]]>A Book of Memorieshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400525&blogid=1766
Sam Savage’s economically crafted novella It Will End with Us is a Proustian study of both the lyric truths of memories and their opaque, wildly fictive nature. While the book is far more accessible than the work of the author of the epic Swanns Way , the books of&#160; David Markson or Samuel Beckett , as]]>RyanG2016-04-21T15:53:20ZIt Will End with Us is a Proustian study of both the lyric truths of memories and their opaque, wildly fictive nature. While the book is far more accessible than the work of the author of the epic Swanns Way, the books of David Markson or Samuel Beckett, as I read this slim gem of a book, I couldn’t help but recognize certain devices or stylistic flourishes that echoed their focus on literature as a means of excavating the inexpressible experience of remembrance. The book's story is told from the perspective of an elderly woman writing/thinking through her fragmented recollections of growing up in the South (likely in the 1940’s or 1950’s). It’s a poetic book organized by the woman’s vignettes of memory that touch upon the significant and the mundane with equal importance. I had never heard of Savage before picking up the book in the library’s New Book Rotunda but I’m glad I gave it a chance.]]>Teens' Top Ten Nominees!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400520&blogid=1766
Calling all Teen readers! The nominees for the 2016 Teens' Top Ten award were just announced and there's a lot of great books to read! The Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in fifteen school and]]>Stewart F.2016-04-21T10:14:09Z2016 Teens' Top Ten award were just announced and there's a lot of great books to read! The Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in fifteen school and public libraries around the country, and they've made their choices. It's a long list this year- there's a ton of great titles to choose from, including titles by Marcus Sedgwick, Scott Westerfeld, Holly Black, and many more! You can find a PDF of the nominees here, and voting will happen later this summer. Get started reading today!]]>Mr. Splitfoothttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400514&blogid=1766
As I neared the end of Samantha Hunt’s novel Mr. Splitfoot , I became upset to realize that I would soon finish it. I love this book; it encompasses everything that makes a great novel: flesh-and-blood characters, atmosphere, page-turning plot, and—most important to me—a literary tinge with incisive writing. I’m ]]>CaitlinH2016-04-20T15:19:14ZAs I neared the end of Samantha Hunt’s novel Mr. Splitfoot, I became upset to realize that I would soon finish it. I love this book; it encompasses everything that makes a great novel: flesh-and-blood characters, atmosphere, page-turning plot, and—most important to me—a literary tinge with incisive writing. I’m still sad I finished it.

One of the blurbs on the back of Mr. Splitfoot comes from Charlotte Bronte, speaking through a medium: “It’s intriguing because a person will know there’s something two-sided.” Bronte is right; this book is about duality. At the core are the relationships between life and death, mother and daughter, community and isolation, mainstream society and the fringes, earth and space. It’s a dark, gothic novel, a ghost story, set in the backwoods and small towns of New York. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes weird books that are both thrilling and multifaceted.

]]>Trombone Shortyhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400507&blogid=1766
Some of my favorite words in Trombone Shorty are in the author's notes at the end. Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews writes: "The only reason I succeeded as a musician was because I practiced every day. Practicing was easy to do because I loved playing music so much!" Troy Andrews's award winning picture book autobiog]]>BillC2016-04-19T13:00:09ZTrombone Shorty are in the author's notes at the end. Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews writes: "The only reason I succeeded as a musician was because I practiced every day. Practicing was easy to do because I loved playing music so much!" Troy Andrews's award winning picture book autobiography is illustrated by the great Bryan Collier. The focus of the story is on the well known trombone player's childhood in the Tremé neighborhood in New Orleans and how Andrews started playing and, of course, got his nickname. I guarantee this book will lift you up as it captures the joy of making music so perfectly! Until then, you can listen to Trombone Shorty's Say That to Say This, via KPL Hoopla, with just a few clicks.]]>Slackerhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400506&blogid=1766
&#160;When my brother and I were kids, we loved Gordon Korman books. I think I must have read “ No coins, please ,” “ I want to go home !” and “ This can’t be happening at MacDonald Hall ” a dozen times each. Well, 30 years later, Korman is still cranking out great books. I figured he must be pretty old by now, but ]]>KristenL2016-04-19T11:22:00Z When my brother and I were kids, we loved Gordon Korman books. I think I must have read “No coins, please,” “I want to go home!” and “This can’t be happening at MacDonald Hall” a dozen times each. Well, 30 years later, Korman is still cranking out great books. I figured he must be pretty old by now, but I Googled him and the picture looked pretty young. Turns out he wrote his first book (This can’t be happening at MacDonald Hall) when he was TWELVE! No wonder.

Korman’s brand-new book, Slacker, sounds right in line with the hilarious plot lines I remember from 30 years ago. After his house almost burns down while he’s caught up in a video game, slacker Cameron Boxer’s parents make him join a club NOT involving video games. Cameron instead creates a fake community service club to fool his parents and teachers while he and his friends just continue gaming. Kids end up taking the club seriously and Cameron is stuck being president and having to actually do stuff. The more he tries to get away from the responsibilities of the club, the deeper Cam is pulled in and the more he ends up accomplishing. This book is funny, good for reluctant readers, and has a positive message about helping others.

]]>Absolutely One Thinghttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400505&blogid=1766
&#160; Charlie and Lola are heading to the store
with Mom, who says they may choose one thing. &#160;
“One thing each, or one thing between two?” asks Charlie. &#160; That leads to a meandering view of math from
Lola’s understanding of it. &#160; How many
socks will twenty-seventeen ladybugs need, and how]]>Susan2016-04-18T16:30:16ZCharlie and Lola are heading to the store
with Mom, who says they may choose one thing.“One thing each, or one thing between two?” asks Charlie.That leads to a meandering view of math from
Lola’s understanding of it.How many
socks will twenty-seventeen ladybugs need, and how many are a squillion?Not so much a math concepts book, but a
playing-around-with-math book. Any book
about Charlie and Lola is great, and Absolutely
One Thing does not disappoint.

]]>The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulanehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400491&blogid=1766
by Kate DiCamillo,&#160;Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline - the illustrations are gorgeous!
Kate DiCamillo has a wonderful way with words and evoking realistic fantasy, she succeeds once again with The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. &#160;Edward Tulane is a white china rabbit and he belongs to Abilene. Pelle]]>AmyChase2016-04-14T17:35:23Zby Kate DiCamillo, Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline - the illustrations are gorgeous!

Kate DiCamillo has a wonderful way with words and evoking realistic fantasy, she succeeds once again with The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Edward Tulane is a white china rabbit and he belongs to Abilene. Pellegrina is Abilene’s grandmother and she commissioned his making from a master craftsman in her native France for Abilene’s 7th birthday. Edward is almost three feet tall and has penetrating and intelligent blue eyes. He has jointed arms and legs joined by wire. His ears are made of real rabbit fur and beneath the fur are strong bendable wires which allow the ears to be arranged into poses that reflect the rabbit’s mood, jaunty, tired, full of ennui. Edward has handmade silk suits, custom fine leather shoes and a small gold pocket watch, a wide array of jaunty hats, each pair of well-cut pants has a small pocket for Edward’s gold pocket watch. He certainly was a fine rabbit and he was treated very well. Abilene considered Edward real and she spoke to him as an equal as did Pellegrina. Edward was quite self-absorbed.

Pellegrina reveals to Edward that she is disappointed in him. There is something about what Pellegrina says to Edward that leads the reader to know that Edward has lessons to learn about how to love and not be selfish. Soon after, Edward is informed that he is to sail aboard the Queen Mary with Abilene. While on the Queen Mary, Edward is grabbed away from Abilene’s clutches by two nasty boys who rip off his clothing, his pocket watch hits the deck and rolls toward Abiliene. He is thrown overboard! From there, Edward’s miraculous journey takes him to the bottom of the sea until a tumultuous storm heavea him into his next journey. His adventures have just begun!

Read this story to find out where Edward goes! The illustrations are beautiful. Save the date to meet Kate DiCamillo at the Central Library on Monday, July 11, at 6:30pm!

]]>IN WHOSE NAME?http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400482&blogid=1766
The Iranian photographer Abbas has been taking emblematic and emotionally charged photographs since the 1970’s. Often focusing on world religions and politics, Abbas’s latest collection, IN WHOSE NAME? , points the lens at the Islamic world after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. The 173 b]]>mykyl2016-04-13T11:31:09ZIN WHOSE NAME?, points the lens at the Islamic world after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. The 173 black-and-white photographs made by Abbas in 16 countries over a seven-year period represent a unique perspective on the Islamic world that attempts to overcome the implicit bias of western politics and attitudes and to present the subjects and situations as they were found and without judgment. The photographs are striking and thought provoking on a number of levels and the included honest and raw journal entries from the photographer only add to the dramatic effect.]]>The Age of Miracleshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400481&blogid=1766
Contrary to its title, The Age of Miracles tells a story that is in part quite ordinary. While the book’s key event sets off a gradual apocalypse, Karen Thompson Walker centers her story on the coming-of-age of a young girl. Julia is 11 and facing all the normal upheavals of sixth grade (puberty, young love, etc.)]]>KitA2016-04-12T14:47:53ZContrary to its title, The Age of Miracles tells a story that is in part quite ordinary. While the book’s key event sets off a gradual apocalypse, Karen Thompson Walker centers her story on the coming-of-age of a young girl. Julia is 11 and facing all the normal upheavals of sixth grade (puberty, young love, etc.) when one day she learns, along with the rest of the world, that the earth's rotation has begun to slow and the days are lengthening.

Scientists are mystified and panic ensues, but when it becomes clear the world isn’t ending immediately, people begin to make adjustments. The official recommendation is to stay on “clock time,” continuing to measure days in 24-hour increments. But as the hours of daylight and darkness continue to extend, sometimes people must go about their daily routines in the dark and shutter their windows to sleep through the white nights. Others become “real-timers” and attempt to live in sync with the sun, which poses its own problems.

How humans adjust their schedules to “the slowing” is only the tip of the iceberg. The change causes varying degrees of emotional distress and physical illness and many more far-reaching effects on the planet and all its inhabitants. The details of the environmental and social effects are both imaginative and believable. That they take hold gradually, as “normal” life goes on for Julia and those close to her, somehow increases the impact of this quiet, thoughtful book.

The Age of Miracles is set in the near future and narrated by Julia as an adult, looking back on the events from a time when a “day” lasts for weeks. She frequently reflects on what people thought and how they reacted in the early days of the slowing, commenting, “It still amazes me how little we really knew.” Despite many scientific breakthroughs and technological advances, no one could predict, stop, or solve the slowing. When Julia says, “the unknown still outweighed the known,” she could be speaking of adolescence—or any stage of life—under even the most ordinary circumstances.

]]>The Head of the Sainthttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400479&blogid=1766
I love magical realism, and this book is filled with it. Set in a small town in Brazil, Samuel finds himself newly orphaned and homeless. When his grandmother turns him away, he takes up residence within the head of St. Anthony. Supposedly the saint had brought the town only misfortune, but when Samuel starts to hear s]]>KirstenJ2016-04-11T13:48:37ZNorth Woods Girlhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400474&blogid=1766
I really love this book, it is so me! &#160;It presents a simple story of a young girl admiring her grandmother who has created a happy and peaceful life for herself at her North Woods home. &#160;Together they take long walks through the woods, sit among nature, listen to the sounds of animals, and watch the seasons ]]>KalaL2016-04-08T17:37:07ZI really love this book, it is so me! It presents a simple story of a young girl admiring her grandmother who has created a happy and peaceful life for herself at her North Woods home. Together they take long walks through the woods, sit among nature, listen to the sounds of animals, and watch the seasons change. It's the kind of life I certainly look forward to in the years to come. This is Aimee Bissonette's first children's book and it is beautifully illustrated by Claudia McGehee in scratchboard artistry. This picture book will definitely speak to the young naturalists.

]]>The Summer Before the Warhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400471&blogid=1766
My book group’s choice for April is The Summer Before the War , the new book from Helen Simonson, author of the popular Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand . Although we haven’t yet met to discuss it, I’m confident my reading friends will have enjoyed it and we’ll have a good conversation.
The story is set in a sma]]>AnnR2016-04-08T14:36:38ZMy book group’s choice for April is The Summer Before the War, the new book from Helen Simonson, author of the popular Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand. Although we haven’t yet met to discuss it, I’m confident my reading friends will have enjoyed it and we’ll have a good conversation.

The story is set in a small town in England just before World War I. It begins with the arrival of a new teacher – Beatrice Nash – younger and prettier than expected. The war first touches the town when some Belgian refugees arrive, then as the town’s young men go off to war with a sense of adventure.

This novel evolves – it begins as a pleasant small town, with the English class snobbery, and becomes an account of war and its aftermath. Some of the reviewers call it a “novel to cure your Downton Abbey withdrawal.”

]]>The Kinfolk Homehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400466&blogid=1766
Kinfolk is a popular magazine and website for those who possess a minimalist approach to architecture, interior design and life style consumption, or at the very least, for those who aspire to integrate a bit of thoughtfully designed simplicity and elegance into their living and working spaces. Author Nathan Williams ]]>RyanG2016-04-07T15:44:10ZKinfolk is a popular magazine and website for those who possess a minimalist approach to architecture, interior design and life style consumption, or at the very least, for those who aspire to integrate a bit of thoughtfully designed simplicity and elegance into their living and working spaces. Author Nathan Williams has collected several images and a small amount of background text on over 30 individuals and families from Japan, Europe and The United States. For those browsing only for the images, there’s lots of Scandinavian designed furniture, white walls, natural light, wood floors, large fig plants, and austere use of color—all of it inside of highly manicured and curated homes and apartments. As someone who leans toward such an approach to design, I found this book endlessly helpful in offering up ideas and examples of spaces sparsely adorned yet beautiful in their arrangement.

]]>The Graveyard Book(1)http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400443&blogid=1766
Neil Gaiman is a favorite author of mine for a few reasons. First, whenever you read something of his, he sets the mood and the scene so well, you feel like you are in the book. Sometimes he transports you to a magical, fantastic place where you feel like you are on a great adventure. Other times it's a place of darkn]]>AmyAH2016-04-06T11:13:34ZNeil Gaiman is a favorite author of mine for a few reasons. First, whenever you read something of his, he sets the mood and the scene so well, you feel like you are in the book. Sometimes he transports you to a magical, fantastic place where you feel like you are on a great adventure. Other times it's a place of darkness and horror.

Surprisingly, The Graveyard Book feels more like a magical adventure. An orphan named Nobody Owens is raised in a graveyard by the ghost and a mysterious guardian. As he grows up, Nobody learns about the magic of the graveyard, while wondering about the world of the living. Think of it like The Jungle Book, but in a graveyard.

]]>Free Versehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400433&blogid=1766
&#160; Sasha needs to get out of
Caboose, West Virginia. &#160; After a series
of misfortunes she ends up with a foster mother who truly cares for her, but
she still really needs to get out of Caboose. &#160;
An unexpected family, an after-school poetry club, and finding someone
who needs Sasha as much as s]]>Susan2016-04-04T12:49:24ZSasha needs to get out of
Caboose, West Virginia.After a series
of misfortunes she ends up with a foster mother who truly cares for her, but
she still really needs to get out of Caboose.An unexpected family, an after-school poetry club, and finding someone
who needs Sasha as much as she needs to leave bring this story, Free Verse, to a lovely and hopeful
end.

]]>Is it wrong to want to kill a person?http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400428&blogid=1766
I admit. I'm a fan of psychopath books like this one. The last psychopath book I read ( The Psychopath Inside , by James Fallon) was phenomenal and a highly recommend it (oh wait, I already did here ). Having said that, I really didn't like this psychopath&#160;book. It's a person who is a psychopath writing unde]]>MattS2016-04-03T15:52:57ZI admit. I'm a fan of psychopath books like this one. The last psychopath book I read (The Psychopath Inside, by James Fallon) was phenomenal and a highly recommend it (oh wait, I already did here). Having said that, I really didn't like this psychopath book. It's a person who is a psychopath writing under a fake name. The writing, the stories, and the science were all lacking in my opinion. The author becomes increasingly annoying, repetitive, uninteresting, and frankly sort of pathetic as the book proceeds. I don't want to sound too harsh here, but the goal of the author - to give psychopaths a good name - was lost on me. Maybe it was when she described, in detail, her fantasy of wanting to randomly murder a worker for telling her not to walk up an escalator that was out of order (and you get the sense that she came close to doing it, as she proceeded to stalk the worker, hoping he would veer into a alley so she could strangle him). (She's had many such fantasies and seems to think it's normal). Maybe it was when she cut ties with a good friend because the friend had cancer. Yikes. In other words, although she has managed to not kill anyone, and claims to live a normal life (which means having a job and contributing to charity?) you get a real sense that something dark is lurking beneath the surface. You get a sense that the author is manipulative, boastful, exaggerating and cold. To give the author credit, at times she is very honest about this, and the book is a story about learning how to be a better person. And she is correct in pointing out that most psychopaths are not violent; it's probably a blend of nature and nature. She is also correct in pointing out the flaws of people who based decisions on emotion alone (she calls them 'empaths').

Put this one on the bottom of your psychopath books reading list (not that I have one...don't judge me). On a serious note, the reason I read books like this is to understand why bad things happen, to understand that some people lack empathy at a biological level. To understand them on their own terms is very important. Although morality is built on the foundation of empathy, it's much more than that.

]]>National Book Critics Circle Award Winners 2015http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400427&blogid=1766
Last month the National Book Critics Circle Award winners for 2015 were announced. "The NBCC annually bestows its awards in six categories, honoring the best books published in the past year in the United States." Here are the 2015 winners in each category: Poetry Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay Criti]]>AngelaF2016-04-03T15:39:44ZHere are the 2015 winners in each category:

You can see a recording of the ceremony here.]]>The Making of Homehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400420&blogid=1766
Author Judith Flanders is a prominent social historian based in London. In this 2015 book, The Making of Home, she tells, in the words of the subtitle, The 500-Year Story of How Our Houses Became Our Homes. Beginning in sixteenth-century Netherlands, she traces the development of the house, expanding her discussion]]>David D.2016-04-01T15:07:50ZThe Making of Home, she tells, in the words of the subtitle, The 500-Year Story of How Our Houses Became Our Homes. Beginning in sixteenth-century Netherlands, she traces the development of the house, expanding her discussion to include the rest of northern Europe and then America. Not only does she explore the architecture of the houses themselves, but she also details items that have contributed to human well-being inside the houses, including the invention and use of cutlery, chairs, curtains, plumbing, and windows. I love the illustrations, many of which are reproductions of paintings representative of the period under study, such as those by van Dyck and Vermeer. The footnotes, bibliography, and index are all first-rate and contribute to an excellent effort on the part of Ms. Flanders.]]>Barbara Johns: A girl with a mission!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400378&blogid=1766
&#160;First, I would like to give tribute to the We Need Diverse Books Campaign . We Need Diverse Books was launched in April 2014. Armed with statistics the campaign developers set out to address a lack of diversity in narratives written for children. They knew that there was a correlation between the lack of dive]]>JudiR2016-03-30T13:03:59Z First, I would like to give tribute to the We Need Diverse Books Campaign. We Need Diverse Books was launched in April 2014. Armed with statistics the campaign developers set out to address a lack of diversity in narratives written for children. They knew that there was a correlation between the lack of diverse narratives and this country’s literacy problem. With the help of public support from educators and libraries, like KPL, We Need Diverse Books has seen great success. Changes are being made and there are more to come.

Barbara Johns’ school, Robert Moton High, was near Farmville, Virginia in 1950. She was fifteen years old when she became aware that the Virginia law that required the schools to be Separate but Equal was not assuring equal schooling for African American families. Although Moton High was a brick building, wooden temporary structures had been added to accommodate the overflow. The wooden structures were covered with tar paper. These buildings leaked when it rained and their only source of heat was a potbellied stove, which was inadequate.

Barbara decided to do something about it. She organized a strike. She got up in front of her fellow students and gave a speech that was described as electrifying and inspiring. She influenced her classmates into thinking they could make a difference. Barbara Rose Johns was unstoppable. Her pursuit of equitable condition in her school eventually led us to Brown vs Board of Education.

]]>Never Insult A Killer Zucchinihttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400366&blogid=1766
Quantum mechanics, shrink rays, youth serum, and, naturally, the killer zucchini are all on display at Mr. Farnsworth's science fair this year! An A-Z book cleverly disguised as a science fair,&#160; Never Insult A Killer Zucchini is goofy fun. Are the science projects totally insane? Of course! But the illustrations ]]>Stewart F.2016-03-30T10:51:40ZNever Insult A Killer Zucchini is goofy fun. Are the science projects totally insane? Of course! But the illustrations are so ridiculous it doesn't matter. Plus, with clever references to Dr. Strangelove, Little Shop of Horrors, and James Bond, Never Insult A Killer Zucchini is fun for grown-ups too. Of course, it could just be the Mind-Control science project making me say that.]]>This book would make a good movie!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400352&blogid=1766
Dodgers by debut author Bill Beverly sounds like a great plot for a feature film! In this dark, character-driven, coming-of-age story, gang member East and 3 other teens set out in a minivan on a 2,000 mile cross-county mission to hunt down and kill a witness in a case against East’s uncle. The guys leave the only ]]>KristenL2016-03-29T13:35:03ZDodgers by debut author Bill Beverly sounds like a great plot for a feature film! In this dark, character-driven, coming-of-age story, gang member East and 3 other teens set out in a minivan on a 2,000 mile cross-county mission to hunt down and kill a witness in a case against East’s uncle. The guys leave the only place they’ve ever known, the streets of South Central L.A., to head to Wisconsin, where the witness is hiding out, crossing an America filled with people and cultures that are absolutely foreign to them, taking risks and building suspense for the reader the whole way. I read a review that hailed this as the literary world’s The wire.]]>Paxhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400323&blogid=1766
Pax , &#160;the new book by&#160; Sara Pennypacker &#160;of&#160; Clementine &#160;fame, &#160;is an animal story. And &#160; an anti-war story.&#160; Pax &#160;is about community. It's&#160;a coming of age story about a fox and a boy&#160; told in alternating points of view with each chapter . &#160; Th]]>BillC2016-03-25T16:43:20ZPax, the new book by Sara Pennypacker of Clementine fame, is an animal story. Andan anti-war story. Pax is about community. It's a coming of age story about a fox and a boy told in alternating points of view with each chapter.There's also a little baseball thrown in.Paxis a story about learning who you are and finding your family by being a friend, whether young or old, fox or human.

Pax has illustrations by Jon Klassen. It's a book that you'll probably have a difficult time putting down after you pick it up and a book you'll probably keep thinking about long after you've finished reading. Or listening. Pax is available in multiple formats from your library. However you experience it, I bet it's a book you'll be glad you read.

]]>When Breath Becomes Airhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400312&blogid=1766
Written by a young neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi, after his own shocking diagnosis of terminal lung cancer, When Breath Becomes Air provides an intimate look at the physical, psychological, philosophical, and emotional challenges of suddenly being the patient rather than the doctor. Dr. Kalanithi chronicles his (tragi]]>KarenT2016-03-24T14:26:14ZWhen Breath Becomes Air provides an intimate look at the physical, psychological, philosophical, and emotional challenges of suddenly being the patient rather than the doctor. Dr. Kalanithi chronicles his (tragically) short but impressive career, including specific patient stories that introduce us to Kalanithi, the doctor. But we also meet Kalanithi, the husband, son, and just in time, father. The writing is beautiful and personal, and includes several literary references; Dr. Kalanithi was clearly well-read. He asks the questions we all ask about our own mortality; about how to face death when suddenly it looms closer than it did yesterday; about how to relinquish control and (eventually) let others make decisions on one's behalf. And because he's a doctor, there's something about him asking those questions that reminds us in a sweet way that we're all human and that, no matter what, our connections to each other are what really matter in the end.]]>Raymie Nightingalehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400311&blogid=1766
Every time Kate DiCamillo publishes a book, my heart grows a little. Her newest book, Raymie Nightingale , available April 2016 is sure to make hearts grow in children that need to be reminded of the love that surrounds them. I want to hug each and every one of the characters in this story and help them grow up to]]>Jill L2016-03-24T14:22:02ZKate DiCamillo publishes a book, my heart grows a little. Her newest book, Raymie Nightingale, available April 2016 is sure to make hearts grow in children that need to be reminded of the love that surrounds them. I want to hug each and every one of the characters in this story and help them grow up to be ok. You see, Raymie’s dad left. Raymie develops a plan to bring him back which involves baton twirling, a contest and good deeds. Along the way, Raymie meets two other girls on a journey of acceptance as well, and together the three Rancheros build hearts and souls that will bond children together forever. Start placing your holds now. Read this book and save the date to meet Kate DiCamillo on her book tour at the Central Library, 6:30 pm, July 11!]]>Bloomhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400297&blogid=1766
Once upon a time there was an extraordinary fairy named Bloom . She lives in a beautiful glass kingdom. Bloom is a powerful fairy, like today’s mighty girls, but she leaves trails of mud wherever she goes and the people of the kingdom ceaselessly complain about the trails of dirt and the puddles of mud that seem t]]>nancyds2016-03-24T08:06:41ZOnce upon a time there was an extraordinary fairy named Bloom. She lives in a beautiful glass kingdom. Bloom is a powerful fairy, like today’s mighty girls, but she leaves trails of mud wherever she goes and the people of the kingdom ceaselessly complain about the trails of dirt and the puddles of mud that seem to follow her every step. Finally after Bloom has had enough, she leaves the kingdom and moves to the heart of the forest. It seems both the kingdom and Bloom are extremely happy with her choice. Years go by and the glass castle begins to crack, rain pours through the roof and the Kingdom falls into disrepair. The people remember the powerful fairy and know they need her help. The royal court says only the King and Queen will be able to bring her back. The King goes off in search of the fairy. He finds Bloom with her dirty hair and clunky shoes and although she shows him her magic mud he dismisses her. Bloom happily returns to her own business. Next the Queen goes in search of the fairy. She finds Bloom but the result is the same. Bloom skips back to her forest.

Next the King and Queen decide to send Genevieve, the smallest and quietest in the kingdom. Genevieve’s only job had been to collect, wash, and dry the Queen’s crystal sugar spoon. She indeed meets Bloom and explains she has only been allowed to do that one job because she is ordinary. Bloom tells Genevieve that she will show her the magic. The two girls work together to accomplish the extraordinary and when Genevieve is ready to return to the Kingdom, Bloom tells her to “tell them there is no such thing as an ordinary girl”. Genevieve rebuilds the Kingdom.

This story brings to mind the mighty girl movement which empowers young girls. Check out the mighty girl web site. The site has booklists, articles by women and a blog.

]]>My Penhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400277&blogid=1766
A young boy feels small when he compares himself to rich and famous people. But then he remembers his ink pen. His pen creates many different worlds and adventures for him. It helps him tap dance on the sky and sail to Africa in a newspaper boat. His pen draws beautiful pictures of everyone he loves and does many other]]>Christine2016-03-22T14:20:01ZChristopher Myers, author/illustrator, brings these amazing worlds to life with his black-and-white drawings.]]>Learn How to Fold All That Joyhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400270&blogid=1766
Marie Kondo started a throw-everything-away organizing trend with her bestseller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up , a book that advocates for getting rid of anything in your home that doesn’t spark joy. Some people seem to think her method, called KonMari, is extreme or even a little saccharine, but I think it]]>CaitlinH2016-03-21T16:44:45ZThe Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, a book that advocates for getting rid of anything in your home that doesn’t spark joy. Some people seem to think her method, called KonMari, is extreme or even a little saccharine, but I think it makes perfect sense: who wouldn’t want their home to be filled with things they love and devoid of things that annoy them? That’s why I’m reading her follow-up book, aptly titled Spark Joy. Spark Joy goes into more detail regarding the storing of items; how to fold clothes, display beloved items, and organize other accoutrements. It also addresses a number of questions Marie Kondo has received since publishing her first book, such as getting through the untidy stages of tidying and keeping things that don’t spark joy but are necessary (she gives a screwdriver as an example). I recommend starting with the first book, but if you need more information or inspiration than that, or you just like cute illustrations, I definitely recommend following up with Spark Joy.]]>Lakota: The Wolf Who Was Bulliedhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400265&blogid=1766
A Friend for Lakota: The Incredible True Story of a Wolf Who Braved Bullying is a true and touching account from National Geographic. It focuses on a wolf pup named Lakota which means “friends” in the Lakota Sioux language. Lakota grew up as the runt of the litter; shy, apprehensive and gentle. His brother, Kamots, wa]]>TeresaM-R2016-03-20T13:16:10ZA Friend for Lakota: The Incredible True Story of a Wolf Who Braved Bullying is a true and touching account from National Geographic. It focuses on a wolf pup named Lakota which means “friends” in the Lakota Sioux language. Lakota grew up as the runt of the litter; shy, apprehensive and gentle. His brother, Kamots, was just the opposite – fearless and assertive. Three other wolves join the brothers after the first winter to form a bona fide wolf pack.

Kamots becomes the leader, while Lakota tags along hoping to fit in with the others and just get by. Unfortunately, after a short period of time, two of the other dominant wolves attack gentle Lakota, while another wolf named Matsi watches. Matsi ends up standing up for and defending Lakota against the others and soon they become best friends. After that, Lakota is never challenged again.

The authors, Jim and Jamie Dutcher, lived in a tented camp in the Idaho Sawtooth Mountains for six years within close proximity of this wolf pack. They observed and documented their social behavior, making several movies and books about their discoveries. They also formed a non-profit organization - “Living with Wolves”.

This interesting, worthwhile book offers wolf facts, suggests other informative books about wolves and gives much needed information on conservation awareness.

I have been interested in wolves for quite some time now. One highlight of this interest resulted in traveling to Battle Ground, Indiana, (which is close to Lafayette) over 25 years ago to visit the Wolf Park located there. I was able to observe many wolves up close, and even participated in their Saturday evening Wolf Howl Night. The Park also offers seminars and a young naturalist program for kids aged 13 through 17. For more information check out the WolfPark.org website.

]]>Season of the Witchhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400254&blogid=1766
Those who grew up in the 60’s and 70’s and followed the news will be fascinated by Season of the Witch , the cultural history of San Francisco from the late 1960’s to the early 1980’s. These were the years of the hippie movement, drag queens, activists, Janis Joplin, Patty Hearst, Jim Jones, Harvey Milk, Dianne Fe]]>AnnR2016-03-18T10:24:31ZThose who grew up in the 60’s and 70’s and followed the news will be fascinated by Season of the Witch, the cultural history of San Francisco from the late 1960’s to the early 1980’s. These were the years of the hippie movement, drag queens, activists, Janis Joplin, Patty Hearst, Jim Jones, Harvey Milk, Dianne Feinstein, AIDS, 49ers football with Joe Montana and Bill Walsh.

Certainly this sounds like a nostalgia trip and in many ways it is, but it is also a thoroughly researched, very readable story of the times in the city that became a touchstone for the country. This is the backstory in the context of several decades later.

]]>The Truth About Twinkie Piehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400220&blogid=1766
After winning a million dollars in a cooking contest, two sisters move from rural South Carolina to the Gold Coast of New York. GiGi is 12, incredibly smart, and totally apprehensive about her fancy new school. DiDi is older, but still quite young herself. She works hard to provide a happy life for them both, styling h]]>AndreaV2016-03-14T13:57:14ZThe Walking Dead Comics on Hooplahttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400212&blogid=1766
I have a history of being a latecomer to particular pop culture moments. Though I tend to love low and high brow culture fairly equally, I have snobbish moments and tend to assume if millions of people like something I probably won't. The best example of this is Harry Potter. I was about 13 years old when Harry Potte]]>AngelaF2016-03-12T14:58:07ZHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was published and I had absolutely no interest in joining that craze. I was in Moscow when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published ten years later, and refused to even tag along with friends for the midnight release at an English-language bookstore. But after I started library school I decided I should probably see what all the fuss was about. And of course I loved the books.

That is all to say I am fully aware The Walking Dead is presently one of the most popular series on television, you are probably watching the current season, and you may have already devised ways to cope with waiting a week to see a new episode (or even waiting months between seasons!). I know, I am really late to this party. Since I binge-watched nearly 80 episodes in less than one month, and only four episodes remain of the current season, I'm looking for ways to feed my obsession between new episodes/seasons.

It appears Hoopla, a library service perhaps best known for streaming movies and music, will fill that void. Hoopla now offers access to comics, including all 24 volumes of the collected The Walking Dead. Comics check out for three weeks, and the great thing about Hoopla is that everything is always available – no holds, no waiting.]]>Improbable Librarieshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400175&blogid=1766
Having spent most of my life in libraries as either patron or staff, I naturally gravitated to this little 7" x 7" gem. The subtitle gives a good indication of what the book contains: A Visual Journey to the World's Most Unusual Libraries. The seven chapters are 1) Libraries on the Move, 2) Animal Libraries, 3) Tiny ]]>David D.2016-03-04T17:57:18ZA Visual Journey to the World's Most Unusual Libraries. The seven chapters are 1) Libraries on the Move, 2) Animal Libraries, 3) Tiny Libraries, 4) Big Libraries, 5) Home Libraries, 6) Mobile Libraries, and 7) Not libraries. Most of the 'institutions,' and I use that term loosely, are definitely cutting edge and/or unorthodox. I love the pictures of the camel carrying books as The Mongolian Children's Mobile Library, the Elephantine Library in Laos, the Biblioburro in Colombia, and the book donkeys in Venezuela. Libraries exist in surprising places and are structured in widely diverse ways. The book shows that libraries are alive, well, needed, and used -- all over the world.]]>Circling the Sunhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400154&blogid=1766
Paula McLain, author of the popular novel The Paris Wife , has a new book: Circling the Sun , set in colonial Africa and centering on Beryl Markham.
Markham grew up in Kenya among the animals and landed gentry of the British ex-pat community, eventually becoming the first and greatest female horse trainer in]]>AnnR2016-03-02T16:33:52ZPaula McLain, author of the popular novel The Paris Wife, has a new book: Circling the Sun, set in colonial Africa and centering on Beryl Markham.

Markham grew up in Kenya among the animals and landed gentry of the British ex-pat community, eventually becoming the first and greatest female horse trainer in the region. She became friends with Karen Blixen, who wrote her own story in Out of Africa under the pen name Isaak Dinesen, and her lover, Denys Finch Hatten. (Movie fans will remember Meryl Streep and Robert Redford in these roles in the 1985 movie version.)

From a horse trainer, Markham became a pilot and eventually the first woman to fly across the Atlantic from east to west, as described in her 1942 memoir, West with the Night.

This is a very readable account of a complex woman leading a life of adventure on her own terms, ahead of her times. One reviewer considers this title the “best kind of historical novel – the kind that teaches you something about the real people and events of the time.”

]]>Best Board Bookshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400141&blogid=1766
Board books, with their durable cardboard pages are one my favorite parenting tools! We have a great collection at the library and we are always adding to it. The practicality of these little books, can't be beat. If you haven't looked at our collection or shopped for board books recently, you might not know just how ]]>AndreaV2016-02-29T21:57:03ZBoard books, with their durable cardboard pages are one my favorite parenting tools! We have a great collection at the library and we are always adding to it. The practicality of these little books, can't be beat. If you haven't looked at our collection or shopped for board books recently, you might not know just how much the choices have improved in recent years. There are many classics being re-published as board books and contemporary favorites too. I'm always charmed when I find one that is as lovely to read aloud as an adult as it is engaging for babies and toddlers!

A favorite board book is a perfect baby birthday gift and you can even earn them for your baby through our 1000 Books program or our summer reading program. Babies need books they can explore closely and practice turning pages, with simple text and vibrant ilustrations. And if you don't tell them they're too big for board books, your preschooler will love them too. The short, repeated phrases can be perfect for learning sounds and sight words. Sometimes older siblings will read favorite board books to new babies. This is a win for everyone! So yes, I love board books! And I often get asked for a list of my favorites so here is that list. These are the ones I've found engaging for babies and toddlers and that I like to read too!

]]>Tricky Twenty Twohttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400140&blogid=1766
I just finished Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich. If you like an easy read with comedy infused, this series is a good one. Stephanie Plum is a Bounty Hunter, a rather incompetent one, who finds her skip more by luck than skill. She hangs with Lula a retired hooker, who you do not want to call fat (she hates tha]]>Gary2016-02-29T15:20:42ZTricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich. If you like an easy read with comedy infused, this series is a good one. Stephanie Plum is a Bounty Hunter, a rather incompetent one, who finds her skip more by luck than skill. She hangs with Lula a retired hooker, who you do not want to call fat (she hates that and will sit on you). Stephanie has two men in her life, Joe Morelli, who she grew up with, and Ranger. Morelli was a “bad boy” growing up and is now a police man. Ranger is Cuban-American and runs a very successful security service. Ranger is mysterious, drop dead gorgeous, can open any lock, and has a fleet of black vehicles. This is especially helpful for Stephanie, as in each and every book her car somehow gets destroyed, usually in a huge fireball.

In Tricky Twenty-Two Morelli tells Stephanie that he is breaking up with her, that he wants to find a different line of work, one that is less stressful. This is odd because being a cop defines Morelli, so what is really going on. Of course Morelli, like so many men, keeps it all to himself and does not communicate with Stephanie. Ranger is a man of few words but he packs in so much meaning. He can say “Babe” and it can mean so many different things. Both men have deep feelings for Stephanie. Ranger is not the marrying type so we all know that eventually Stephanie and Morelli will get hitched. In Tricky Twenty-two we are aghast that Morelli breaks it off with Stephanie and we know that they will get back together and it will probably take the whole book to do it and it does. During a marriage ceremony, there is the lighting of the candle. The soon to be wed each have a candle and they symbolically light a single candle together, signifying that they are now one. Having personally been married 36 years, communication is paramount. If Morelli would have just shared his thoughts and fears with Stephanie as he should then this the book would be a lot shorter.

You should start with book one “One for the Money” although you could read them in any order. I prefer to read them in order and grow with them. It’s kind of a formula read, Grandma Mazur will always be attending funerals, possibly trying to pry open a closed casket to peek inside. These are humorous books, even the funerals are fun events. Grandma and Lula both will be carrying huge caliber guns that they freely fire off and hit everything except what they are aiming for. Lula’s outfits are usually 2 sizes two small and the coloring is blinding at best. Stephanie has a pet named Rex, but you are going to have to read the books to find out what type of pet he is, and when you read the books you will find out where Stephanie hides her gun. Stephanie is described as cute, perky, adorable, short etc. If you turn the book over and look at the picture of Janet Evanovich on the jacket, I think Janet Evanovich is describing herself. Check it out at KPL.]]>Music Class Today!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400134&blogid=1766
David Weinstone creates music for children and families with his Music for Aardvarks program, an interactive music class for preschoolers. He's got some great songs that children and adults like a lot. And now, a picture book! Music Class Today! portrays what you might see in a thriving preschool center or publi]]>BillC2016-02-27T10:51:07ZDavid Weinstone creates music for children and families with his Music for Aardvarks program, an interactive music class for preschoolers. He's got some great songs that children and adults like a lot. And now, a picture book! Music Class Today! portrays what you might see in a thriving preschool center or public library Story Place, lots of preschool children and their adults getting together to have fun with music, rhymes, and movement. I like the acknowledgement that there's no need to join in right away. Variations on this reassuring refrain appear throughout: "That's all right, that's okay. Whenever you're ready come on over and play." Music Class Today! includes a free song download, too.

Check the new KPL Link for great preschool programming at all our locations. There are so many fun things to do!

]]>Historiumhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400128&blogid=1766
A great big KUDOS goes to Richard Wilkinson and Jo Nelson for creating this engaging museum exhibit in a children's book. &#160;Anyone in love with history and antiquities will enjoy Historium . &#160;Young readers are given a glimpse of ancient civilizations from Africa, America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oc]]>KalaL2016-02-26T13:36:09ZHistorium. Young readers are given a glimpse of ancient civilizations from Africa, America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania through the use of large photographs and illustrations presented in galleries instead of chapters. More than 130 artifacts from these cultures were carefully chosen and researched by the authors. It is very well written and provides the right level of details and definitions about each artifact, culture, and time period. One of my favorite images is Plate 20, Ancient Persia (or page 77). The Frieze of Archers, dated around 510 BASE, is a full-page image of two of Darius the Great's 10,000 elite soldiers. The aging on the glazed bricks and the intricate details of each soldier are amazing. The introduction to the book starts by answering the question "What is archaeology?" then provides a timeline of the objects featured. This publication will engage young readers and should inspire future archaeologists, history buffs, and museum enthusiasts for sure. Written for ages 8 to 12, Historium can be enjoyed by everyone.]]>A Story for Black History Month!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400125&blogid=1766
Sean and Sonya Hollins released their new book Benjamin Losford and his Handy Dandy Clippers on February 9, 2016. Their book release was at a Black History Month program at the Powell Branch that evening. This true story is about a runaway slave named Abraham Losford. Abraham made it as far as Canada and later tr]]>JudiR2016-02-26T12:12:19ZBenjamin Losford and his Handy Dandy Clippers on February 9, 2016. Their book release was at a Black History Month program at the Powell Branch that evening.

This true story is about a runaway slave named Abraham Losford. Abraham made it as far as Canada and later traveled back down to settle in Howell, Michigan. He opened the first barber shop in Howell cutting hair with the clippers he used as a slave. After establishing his business he headed back down south to get his wife and kids. His wife had passed away but he was able to return with his son, Benjamin. He taught Benjamin his trade and later past his clippers off to Benjamin so he could become a next generation barber. Benjamin used his father’s handy dandy clippers and opened his shop in Edmore, Michigan.

Kenjji, the illustrator of Benjamin Losford and his Handy Dandy Clippers, did a fantastic job of bringing the story to life.

At the program Sonya spoke about her career beginnings. Her interest in writing began in the 3rd grade. She had a fantastic teacher that lit a spark in her imagination the never waned. This teacher was her inspiration and later her mentor.

This is a great true story that really needed to be told.]]>Information Wants To Be FREEhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400109&blogid=1766
&#160;Whole Earth Catalog founder Stewart Brand is famously credited with the saying "information wants to be free", but it was hacktivist wunderkind Aaron Swartz who took his quote as marching orders and set out to actually make it free – with both troubling and thought provoking results. The new book The Idealist]]>mykyl2016-02-25T15:41:18Z Whole Earth Catalog founder Stewart Brand is famously credited with the saying "information wants to be free", but it was hacktivist wunderkind Aaron Swartz who took his quote as marching orders and set out to actually make it free – with both troubling and thought provoking results. The new book The Idealist: Aaron Swartz and the Rise of Free Culture on The Internet by Justin Peters reads like a highly contextualized biography of Swartz and the history and circumstances that led to his tragically taking his own life in 2013 rather than face what most characterize as an overly aggressive federal prosecution for anonymously downloading massive amounts of academic articles from the JSTOR database. Peters veers off from the Swartz storyline multiple times to give context and a sense of history to the complex history of intellectual property in the US, something that he is criticized for in Stephen Witt’s NYT Sunday Book Review of the book. But I loved the veering off and the lively and accessible prose that Peters uses here. Aaron Swartz believed deeply in the power of open access to information as the central idea that makes our democracy so powerful. I will leave it to readers of this book to make up their own minds about the status of that ideal today and what they are willing to do about it. Highly recommended!

]]>Gardening Season Is Cominghttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400107&blogid=1766
Spring is just around the corner and I’m already gearing up for another season of gardening or what I like to refer to as endless weeding. I tend to be the kind of gardener who is more interested in looking at glossy photographs that provide helpful ideas about how to design and arrange plants than the reader looking t]]>RyanG2016-02-24T18:33:10Zshade and morning sun. A good friend of mine is examining the feasibility of the No-Mow style for her new home. And then there is my ornamental grass garden situated in the back yard which loves the heat and the afternoon sun. Our gardening books are plentiful so get a start on thinking about that yard because this snow won’t last forever.]]>The Crooked Househttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400106&blogid=1766
Something horrible happened to 14-year-old Esme and her family one night in the crooked house that stood alone on the outskirts of her town. It was a trauma that burned so deep that when she left her muddy little hamlet, she changed her name to Alison and never came back. For 13 years, she led an isolated life, enjoy]]>CaitlinH2016-02-24T17:53:07ZThe Crooked House is a captivating, atmospheric novel, one that the bridges a gap between mystery and literary fiction. It’s been compared to Daphne Du Maurier’s novel Rebecca, and I would agree that fans of Rebecca would enjoy this suspenseful novel.]]>Christmas Joys: Decorating, Crafts & Recipeshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400101&blogid=1766
Procrastination or planning ahead? I would love to say that I am already planning for next December’s holiday season but since those of you who know me are already laughing – let’s just say that I am enjoying looking through the book, Christmas Joys: Decorating, Crafts &amp; Recipes by Country Living .
This b]]>nancyds2016-02-24T11:31:06ZProcrastination or planning ahead? I would love to say that I am already planning for next December’s holiday season but since those of you who know me are already laughing – let’s just say that I am enjoying looking through the book, Christmas Joys: Decorating, Crafts & Recipes by Country Living.

This book is divided into sections: Very Merry Decorating; Wonderful Gifts to Make; Recipes for Celebrations.

My favorite section is the decorating portion. Most of the homes are of course country in style and the decorations carry through on that theme. Natural greenery, pinecones, ribbons, candles and trinkets from the past add to the simple yet “just right” looks for the season. Decorating includes every room of your home plus outdoor spaces. There is something for everyone and you can do as much or a little as you like and works for your home.

Included with the gift section is how to wrap your gifts, an added plus. Recipes look amazing and not too complicated to make. The photographs are the draw to this book. Even if you don’t read the text, you’d be able to have a Country Living Christmas Joy. I love this book and plan to look at it more than once, especially since I have a least a few months before the holiday rush begins again!

]]>I Could Tell You, but Then You Would Have to Be Destroyed by Mehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400090&blogid=1766
Dragons, wizards, demons, skulls, panthers, globes, stars, flags, and aliens... While it might sound like an afternoon spent playing video games, these are instead just a few of the strange and mysterious images that appear on mission patches for some of the most secret military project never discussed in public. Autho]]>Stewart F.2016-02-23T11:01:37ZI Could Tell You, but Then You Would Have to Be Destroyed by Me is a fascinating look inside a secret and strange world right out of The X-Files.]]>“The War that Saved My Life” by Kimberly Bradleyhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400082&blogid=1766
I have always been interested in reading about World War II and how it affected the various “homefronts,” particularly the United States and England. The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Bradley is a chapter book for children, but readers of any age can take a lot from this book.
It’s war time in England; nin]]>NancyS2016-02-22T16:57:22ZI have always been interested in reading about World War II and how it affected the various “homefronts,” particularly the United States and England. The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Bradley is a chapter book for children, but readers of any age can take a lot from this book.

It’s war time in England; nine year old Ada and her younger brother Jamie live in a cramped apartment in London with their mother. Ada has a clubfoot and is a virtual prisoner in their apartment, since their abusive mother refuses to be “shamed” by Ada’s disability and never lets her leave their tiny living space. When Ada and Jamie are re-located to the countryside to escape the bombing of London, it opens a whole new world to the children, particularly Ada. They learn the meaning of courage, friendship, kindness, and what it means to find a true home. It’s also a good adventure story, and vividly portrays the ways people made it through those difficult war years.

This book has rightly earned many awards, among them the Newbery Honor for 2015. I highly recommend it for readers of all ages.

]]>Tiger and Badgerrhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400071&blogid=1766
&#160; This very funny story is about two very good friends . . or
are they enemies? &#160; Yes, enemies. &#160; No, wait. &#160;
Now they are friends again. &#160; Oh
dear. &#160; So Badger finds Tiger sitting in
HER chair and eating HER orange slices. &#160;
Someone gets hit, maybe with a spat]]>Susan2016-02-19T13:00:04ZThis very funny story is about two very good friends . . or
are they enemies?Yes, enemies.No, wait.Now they are friends again.Oh
dear.So Badger finds Tiger sitting in
HER chair and eating HER orange slices.Someone gets hit, maybe with a spatula.Then Bad Monkey (yes, there is a Bad Monkey) gets thrown in the
tree.But then Tiger shares his
popsicle. There are howls of frustration, there is chasing, there is
making-up.This is preschool friendship
. . . which sometimes looks like enemyship.Maybe the easiest thing is just to read Tiger and Badger and decide for yourself.

]]>A Journey Through Philosophyhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400063&blogid=1766
Plato's Cave. What if we are all trapped inside a cave. The world is outside, but we only see the shadows of the real world, flickering on the cave wall. Descartes' Evil Demon. What is a powerful god or demon, or powerful AI machines, have us 'plugged into' a false reality. Much like a dream, what if our senses don't ]]>MattS2016-02-19T08:24:12ZPlato's Cave. What if we are all trapped inside a cave. The world is outside, but we only see the shadows of the real world, flickering on the cave wall. Descartes' Evil Demon. What is a powerful god or demon, or powerful AI machines, have us 'plugged into' a false reality. Much like a dream, what if our senses don't reflect reality at all? These 'anecdotes', parables, analogies, and thought experiments are the most gripping and memorable ideas in the history of philosophy. If a picture paints a thousand words, then so do philosophical anecdotes like Plato's Cave.

Especially for someone curious about philosophy, about the greatest ideas ever thought, this is an excellent introduction. The way the book is structured is brilliant for learning. I highly recommend it.

This would also be an excellent book to start a philosophy club, focusing on a big idea every week (don't laugh! they exist).

]]>Grandma lives in a perfume villagehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400053&blogid=1766
Grandma lives in a perfume village by Fang Suzhen is a tender story about a very small boy and his mother visiting his ill grandmother, who dies later in the story. The reason this book caught my attention to blog about is that the illustrations by Sonja Danowski are absolutely breathtaking...as in, the best I've]]>KristenL2016-02-18T12:40:03ZGrandma lives in a perfume village by Fang Suzhen is a tender story about a very small boy and his mother visiting his ill grandmother, who dies later in the story. The reason this book caught my attention to blog about is that the illustrations by Sonja Danowski are absolutely breathtaking...as in, the best I've seen in a long, long time (and I see the vast majority of our children's books in my position as a book cataloger). The little boy, Xiao Le (pronounced Shall La and meaning "little joy") reminds me of my own little boy who is a joy. The mother and grandmother look like real people that you've seen somewhere before. The beautiful words and illustrations combine to make a perfect little story that is sad but also extremely sweet.]]>Help! I Can't Read Them All At Once!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400038&blogid=1766
I presently have eight books checked out, plus one digital audiobook I'm listening to while on the treadmill. No, I am not SuperReader; I have just once again had several holds become available all at the same time. Undoubtedly, I will have to return some before getting a chance to finish them. But in the meantime, I ]]>KarenT2016-02-16T17:17:58ZI presently have eight books checked out, plus one digital audiobook I'm listening to while on the treadmill. No, I am not SuperReader; I have just once again had several holds become available all at the same time. Undoubtedly, I will have to return some before getting a chance to finish them. But in the meantime, I will enjoy deciding each evening which book I'll dip into, even for a few pages. In fact, now that I look at them all at once, I realize they represent a wide range of my interests. It's nice to have such a varied selection at my disposal, however short-lived it may be.

]]>My father, the pornographer : a memoirhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032400029&blogid=1766
In 1970, Chris's father quit his stable job as an insurance salesman, and took a chance on starting a career as a full time writer, mainly of pornography. He was extremely prolific, writing more that 350 pornographic novels and 24 fantasy novels.&#160;
But this memoir is less about the content of the books written,]]>AmyAH2016-02-15T16:48:27ZIn 1970, Chris's father quit his stable job as an insurance salesman, and took a chance on starting a career as a full time writer, mainly of pornography. He was extremely prolific, writing more that 350 pornographic novels and 24 fantasy novels.

But this memoir is less about the content of the books written, and more about family. The family members are far from perfect, and (especially the father) are at times not very likable. But despite their struggles, the son ends up following in his father's footsteps and becomes a writer himself, and tries his best to understand the work his father did.

]]>Thing Explainerhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399995&blogid=1766
Do you like things? Me too! Do you like finding out how things work? So do I! Do you like learning how things work, but sometimes get confused by all of the complicated technical language? Well, now there's a book that will help you understand how things work, without all of the complicated technical language! It's cal]]>Stewart F.2016-02-11T15:26:03ZThing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words and it's written by Randall Munroe, creator of the online comic XKCD and the hilarious book What If?Thing Explainer uses line drawings and the 1,000 most commonly used words in the English language to provide simple explanations for complicated objects, such as: "Food heating radio box"(microwave oven), "Sky boat with turning wings"(helicopter), and even "The Up-Goer Five"(The Saturn V rocket). So, whether you're interested in the fire box inside the front cover of your car, or the big flat plates of rock we live on, Thing Explainer has you covered!]]>Appreciating All Animalshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399945&blogid=1766
Do Unto Animals: A Friendly Guide to How Animals Live, and How We Can Make Their Lives Better is a book written by Tracey Stewart, an animal lover, animal rights advocate and just plain true friend to many species. She is also a convert to vegetarianism, holds a degree in veterinary technology, and happens to be form]]>TeresaM-R2016-02-06T09:43:42ZDo Unto Animals: A Friendly Guide to How Animals Live, and How We Can Make Their Lives Better is a book written by Tracey Stewart, an animal lover, animal rights advocate and just plain true friend to many species. She is also a convert to vegetarianism, holds a degree in veterinary technology, and happens to be former Daily Show host Jon Stewart’s wife. Her passion for the topic stems from her life-long obsession with animals; and that’s all animals big, small, domesticated and wild. Her belief is that if you are an animal enthusiast, there is no end to the easy and fun ways that you can bring them into your life. And by doing so, you will be sure to experience much more joy in return.

With their kids in tow, Stewart and her husband moved from a Manhattan apartment to rural New Jersey. Now, their backyard serves as a makeshift wildlife rehabilitation center while their home provides both foster and permanent shelter for rescued pets. Ever ambitious in their pursuits, they are currently in the process of establishing a sanctuary for rescued farm animals as well. When it comes to dealing with other species, the Stewart family code is very simple: Do unto others as you would have them do unto humans. This basically translates into treating all animals with dignity by respecting the unique characteristics and behaviors of each.

The book starts out with a short history of Tracey and her life-long interest in all creatures. It is then divided into three sections. The first of these deals with “Animals at Home”, which she dedicates to her “furry family members”. It’s all about cats, dogs and how we humans can learn to speak their language and understand their actions. She also discusses basic “do’s and don’ts” when it comes to pets. A few of the very many topics covered include keeping your pets safe, finding great pets at shelters instead of pet stores, adopting mutts over purebred dogs, resisting the urge to declaw cats, not cropping the ears and tails of dogs, the virtues of spaying and neutering all pets, choosing an older companion animal, and not passing up a pit bull or black cat that’s up for adoption. She also offers up recipes and instructions to make your own dog treats and cat toys as well as tips on how to relax your pet using massage techniques, making the practice an enjoyable experience for both pet and owner. (From personal experience, I can tell you, that massage really works! It has helped our pets to become more in tune with us and strengthened our family bonds. Besides rubbing our three cats the right way, I have also applied massage to our pet bunny, Patrick, who very much appreciates the gesture and has responded by being a more mellow fellow.)The second section of the book is devoted to wildlife that one is likely to find in one’s own backyard. The array is large. From birds, bees, and butterflies, to squirrels, rabbits, moles and more, Tracey offers tips on how to live in harmony with these animals. She tries to be kind and nice to all wild creatures, even bugs. She provides directions on how to encourage certain species to visit and stay on your property by doing things like building a bee house, a worm bin, a squirrel feeder, frog sanctuary, etc. She also advises the reader to not pester the “pests” that really aren’t. These are animals who got a bad rap among misguided humans by simply existing, like bats and snakes for example.

In the final section of the book, Stewart turns her attention to farm animals. She advocates change for the better in the lives of factory farm animals, as well as supports the farm sanctuary movement, providing useful advice on how to make and donate a care package for such an organization. She also gives advice on how to sponsor a sanctuary farm animal and what that obligation entails. Forever true to her beliefs and after mentioning that cows are her favorites in this category, Tracey offers up a recipe for a natural bug deterrent that will make any cow very happy, and yet not hurt a fly! Written in a very approachable manner and profusely illustrated with beautifully colored artwork by Lisel Ashlock, this book is absolutely overflowing with top-notch animal and animal care information. A great resource volume to add to your home library, it would also make a very memorable gift for that special animal lover in your life.

]]>So Bad It's Goodhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399941&blogid=1766
It seems like a month does not go by without a new movie based on a comic book being released. We’ve seen it all – iconic good guys to teams filled with lovable losers. This summer superhero movie fans will be treated to something a little different, a group of super-villains tasked with saving the world called the Su]]>Kevin King2016-02-05T15:04:45ZIt seems like a month does not go by without a new movie based on a comic book being released. We’ve seen it all – iconic good guys to teams filled with lovable losers. This summer superhero movie fans will be treated to something a little different, a group of super-villains tasked with saving the world called the Suicide Squad. In the late 80’s DC Comics launched the Suicide Squad title during a time in which comics were taking a gritty turn. What could more gritty than a dysfunctional team of supervillains forced to go on covert missions for the government? If they survive, they might get an early parole. If they try and escape an implant in their body explodes. I was a huge fan of the comic because the drama between villains who were struggling with their own morality and the pure evil ones was mesmerizing. It seemed like every issue included either a gruesome death or an internal struggle. Great stuff.

A few years ago, when DC Comics rebooted their entire universe, the Suicide Squad returned. The current “team” is pretty much what the movie is based on. When I discovered that I could read the first five collections of the new series on Hoopla, I was thrilled. In no time at all I devoured all five volumes and rediscovered that almost 30 years later, that even a group of psychopathic, super-powered people can save the world once or twice.

]]>The Secret Museumhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399934&blogid=1766
This book was recommended to me by a relatively new colleague, but one who evidently has been around long enough to know what books I like! A statement on the cover says, 'Some [museum] treasures are too precious to display.' This pretty much sums up the content of the book, which author Oldfield introduces by saying, ]]>David D.2016-02-04T20:22:38Z]]>I Heart Homebrewinghttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399927&blogid=1766
When it comes to making beer at home - a.k.a. homebrewing - this is the best book in the universe. It's approachable, easy to understand, entertaining, and very calm (the author's favorite phrase is "Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew.") Charlie Papazian was homebrewing before it was cool, and he understands the scien]]>MattS2016-02-04T12:32:32Z

Turns out, making beer at home is not that hard at all. Don't be scared.

]]>The Wheels on the Tuk Tukhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399915&blogid=1766
Kabir and Surishtha Segal have capture the true spirit of India in this refreshing re-telling of a classic nursery rhyme. &#160;The vibrant illustrations of Jess Golden &#160;brings to life the tuk tuk , a three-wheeled motorized taxi used in India. &#160;As passengers "bobble-bobble-bobble" their way around town]]>KalaL2016-02-03T16:07:34ZKabir and Surishtha Segal have capture the true spirit of India in this refreshing re-telling of a classic nursery rhyme. The vibrant illustrations of Jess Golden brings to life the tuk tuk, a three-wheeled motorized taxi used in India. As passengers "bobble-bobble-bobble" their way around town, young readers are introduced to poppa-doppa-doms, a slumbering sacred cow, the Festival of Diwali, and a decorated elephant spraying water on everybody. As a bonus, the authors have included a glossary of words used in the story. I can't wait to build a story time around this book! I'm sure the kids are gonna love it.

]]>Nina Simonehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399897&blogid=1766
My last blog was about the newest Man From U.N.C.L.E. movie. As I mentioned in that blog, there was
music in it by Nina Simone. I enjoyed the music and became curious about what else
I could find out about Nina Simone. So, I started digging. The biography
written by Nadine Cohodas called PrincessNoire: The Tu]]>JudiR2016-01-31T12:22:01ZMy last blog was about the newestMan From U.N.C.L.E. movie. As I mentioned in that blog, there was
music in it by Nina Simone. I enjoyed the music and became curious about what else
I could find out about Nina Simone. So, I started digging. The biography
written by Nadine Cohodas called PrincessNoire: The Tumultuous Reign of Nina Simone tells her disturbing, but yet
captivating story.

Nina Simone was born Eunice Waymon in Tyron, North Carolina.
Her mother, Kate, was a housekeeper in the home of Katherine Miller. Mrs.
Miller saw talent in the young Eunice and offered to pay for a year of piano
lessons. Eunice did well the first year and her lessons were continued. At age
11 her piano teacher, Mrs. Mazzanovich, (or Miss Mazzy, as they later call her)
and Mrs. Miller planned a recital at the Lanier Library. Eunice walked
gracefully to the piano bench and took her seat with the practiced elegance
that she had been taught. But, when she looked out at the audience she saw that
they were moving her parents to the back of the room. She spoke up and said if
they expected her to play then they better move her parents back up front where
they could see her. It has been said that her parents were embarrassed by the ruckus
she caused.

Mrs. Miller and one of her acquaintances arranged for Eunice
to attend the Allen School in Asheville, N.C. Allen School was founded by
Women’s Home Missionary Society in1887. It was established to provide a better
education for blacks. When it was realized that Eunice’s skills were already too
advanced for the music staff at Allen, Miss Mazzy arranged private piano
lessons with the well-known pianist, Grace Carroll. At Allen School proper
dress, behavior and decorum was expected and Eunice was a model student. She
joined the Allen chapter of the NAACP and was the club treasurer. She graduated
in 1950.

She spent a summer semester at Julliard and later applied to
Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.The whole family moved to Philadelphia for her support. That was one of
the reasons her rejection from the Curtis Institute was so devastating. She
would have been one of the first black females to attend Curtis, but instead
she had to look for work to help support her family. This is the part of young
Eunice’s life where Nina Simone was born.

]]>Everything, Everythinghttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399895&blogid=1766
One of my favorite books of 2015 was Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. I don't buy into that whole "don't judge a book by it's cover" thing as a rule. I think we all pick up books sometimes just because something grabs us about the cover. That's how it was for me with this one. The cover grabbed me, the premi]]>AndreaV2016-01-29T20:25:51ZOne of my favorite books of 2015 wasEverything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. I don't buy into that whole "don't judge a book by it's cover" thing as a rule. I think we all pick up books sometimes just because something grabs us about the cover. That's how it was for me with this one. The cover grabbed me, the premise was interesting, and I was hooked. I did almost threw it across the room towards the end and then I picked it back up, finished it, and now haven't stopped talking about it.

This is the story of a teenage girl who's literally allergic to everything (everything). She has never been anywhere because she might die. Of course she meets a love interest who she communicates with through web messages. And everything (everything) gets more complicated from there. To really live her life, she will have to challenge everything (everything) she's ever known. As a mom, this book made me cry good tears thinking about the utter joy and grief of raising children to grow up and make their own choices. As a person who loves teens and teen books, it made me soar. I've recommended it to every teen book reader I know. It's quick and has everything (everything) I like in a teen book. Angst. Romance. True Love. Meaning of life questions. Voice. Compelling characters. To quote School Library Journal, it's just "wonderful, wonderful."

]]>The Dinnerhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399887&blogid=1766
Two couples, the men are brothers, meet over dinner. The conversation starts out casually but eventually turns to the real reason they are meeting: a discussion of an unspeakable crime their teenage boys have committed. There are political as well as moral issues; one of the brothers is on the cusp of becoming prim]]>AnnR2016-01-28T15:39:03ZTwo couples, the men are brothers, meet over dinner. The conversation starts out casually but eventually turns to the real reason they are meeting: a discussion of an unspeakable crime their teenage boys have committed. There are political as well as moral issues; one of the brothers is on the cusp of becoming prime minister of the Netherlands. One of the wives has known and will do whatever it takes to protect her son.

As they inch through an excruciating meal, they don’t agree on how to handle the situation. The book moves slowly but is riveting. As the dinner progresses, the reader trusts Paul, the brother who is narrating the story, less and less.

This is a Book Club in a Bag title from our collection. My book group had a spirited discussion about it – how far will parents go to protect a child?

]]>No baggagehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399863&blogid=1766
Can you picture yourself hopping on a flight to another country for a 3 week trip with literally just the shirt on your back? In No baggage : a minimalist tale of love &amp; wandering , poet Clara Bensen chronicles how she did just that…only a few months out of a 2 year anxiety/depression-ridden slump…with a guy she]]>KristenL2016-01-25T11:05:19ZNo baggage : a minimalist tale of love & wandering, poet Clara Bensen chronicles how she did just that…only a few months out of a 2 year anxiety/depression-ridden slump…with a guy she had met just a month before on the match site OKCupid. With no luggage (not even a backpack), the pair travels from Istanbul to London, through 8 countries. I am only about 100 pages in, but I can’t put this book down! Everything in this book is fascinating – the minimalism, the newness of their relationship which has only been defined so far as “travel partners,” and the poetic descriptions of the places they’ve been already, such as the “cobbled streets” of Istanbul “stitched together in spiderlike grids.” I love travelogues, but this is by far the most intriguing one I’ve read so far.]]>All American Boyshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399843&blogid=1766
Stop everything you are doing and read this book. Then, share this book with someone else. If you know a high school teacher, tell them to have every student that crosses their path read this book. Need a book for a book discussion, reader’s theater, or classroom read aloud? Here is your choice! Let all of the te]]>Jill L2016-01-21T15:57:49ZStop everything you are doing and read this book. Then, share this book with someone else. If you know a high school teacher, tell them to have every student that crosses their path read this book. Need a book for a book discussion, reader’s theater, or classroom read aloud? Here is your choice! Let all of the teenage youth in your life read this book. Parents - read this book and talk with your children about racism in America. Talk about violence and the moments that change you forever. Talk about the small things, like stopping for a bag of chips; that lead to big things like a protest with a die in. This unforgettable story of two teenagers is an opening to essential conversation. All American Boys takes place over one week in the lives of Rashad and Quinn, told in alternating voices from award winning authors, Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.

“Rashad is absent again today.” – The graffiti is a reminder of what has happened and a call to action for students and teachers at Springfield High School. This short phrase will stick with the reader long after the end.

“The Walter” Award

2016 gives us the inaugural winner of the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature – Youth Literature Category. The Walter Dean Myers Award, also known as “The Walter,” is named for prolific children’s and young adult author Walter Dean Myers (1937 – 2014). Myers was a National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature as well as a champion of diversity in children’s and YA books. We Need Diverse Books announced on Monday that All American Boys is the first winner of this prestigious award! Congratulations to Jason and Brendan! The American Library Association also awarded All American Boys the 2016 Coretta Scott King Honor Award earlier this month. When Walter Dean Myers visited Kalamazoo Public Library in August 2013, he told us that “Reading is Not Optional.” Take his advice, make reading All American Boys not optional for you!

]]>Laughter is the Best Medicinehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399833&blogid=1766
Laughter is the Best Medicine by Dave Coverly ISBN: 9781416245094 c.2014 Dave Coverly grew up in Plainwell, Michigan and now makes his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dave is the famed cartoonist of the “Speed Bump” comic strip that appears daily in the Kalamazoo Gazette in addition to over 400 newspapers. Laughter I]]>AmyChase2016-01-19T14:36:06ZISBN: 9781416245094c.2014

Dave Coverly grew up in Plainwell, Michigan and now makes his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dave is the famed cartoonist of the “Speed Bump” comic strip that appears daily in the Kalamazoo Gazette in addition to over 400 newspapers.Laughter Is The Best Medicine is a small volume of medical jokes and it may be just what you need to put a chuckle in your day during these cold winter months.Here is a sampling:The sign on the Cardiologist’s door reads: Back in a Heartbeat.Mabel, the patient, complains: "The nurses here are so slow. Could this blanket be any thinner? The buttons on the TV remote are too darn small…." Caption: Although her health had improved, Mabel’s condition remained critical.A new mother is sitting on a hospital bed with her newborn baby in her arms. There are two balloons and one balllon reads: It’s a Girl! The other balloon reads: It’s a Mom!Adult Man heads toward door with sign that reads: Ear, Nose, & Throat. Little boy heads toward door with sign that reads: Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes.Enjoy this terrific book of jokes by Dave Coverly!]]>MLK, Strength to Lovehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399830&blogid=1766
A collection of sermons from Dr. King to inspire your heart and challenge your mind. People sometimes forget that Martin Luther King Jr, at core, was a preacher. Watching his sermons live, of course, would have been best. Watching them on youtube is also good (e.g. search "mountaintop speech"). But reading his sermons ]]>MattS2016-01-18T14:19:30ZOut of the Woodshttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399820&blogid=1766
&#160; Antonio’s mother runs a hotel in the woods of Ontario, beside a
lake. &#160; The hotel is filled with men who
work in the forest, trappers and loggers and miners, as well as travelers and sportsmen. &#160; The woods are full of animals that are rarely
seen by Antonio. &#160; One day a forest fire
f]]>Susan2016-01-15T10:24:05ZAntonio’s mother runs a hotel in the woods of Ontario, beside a
lake.The hotel is filled with men who
work in the forest, trappers and loggers and miners, as well as travelers and sportsmen.The woods are full of animals that are rarely
seen by Antonio.One day a forest fire
forces everyone to the safety of the lake . . . people as well as animals
standing side by side.Antonio “smelled
the steam rising off the animals’ wet fur, saw their chests lifting and falling
in steady rhythm, and felt their hot animal breath.”The wonder that Antonio experiences gives the
reader a feeling of being in that lake, with him.Out of
the Woods: A True Story of an Unforgettable Event is a well-told story with
evocative illustrations.

]]>That's Bruce...Not Goosehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399811&blogid=1766
Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins is a laugh-out-loud children’s story about a grumpy black bear named Bruce, who lives by himself and is perfectly content with that state of affairs. His only great passion in life is cooking up exotic recipes made with eggs. &#160; He finds the recipes on the internet. The eggs h]]>TeresaM-R2016-01-14T11:49:58ZMother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins is a laugh-out-loud children’s story about a grumpy black bear named Bruce, who lives by himself and is perfectly content with that state of affairs. His only great passion in life is cooking up exotic recipes made with eggs. He finds the recipes on the internet. The eggs he procures from various bird neighbors by throwing his ursine weight around.

One day he comes across an especially tantalizing recipe calling for boiled goose eggs which are then drizzled with honey salmon sauce. He locates all of the necessary ingredients, but just before he starts boiling the eggs, realizes he will need more firewood for his stove to complete the task. Upon his return, instead of finding four eggs in his pot, he finds four newly hatched goslings, all staring at Bruce and crying for their “MAMA!!!”; an utterly disastrous case of mistaken identity!

After abandoning a fleeting thought of snacking on buttered gosling on toast, Bruce decides to take them back to Mrs. Goose, only to find a note at her nest saying that she had decided to fly down south a little earlier than usual that year. He tries deserting the youngsters at their true mother’s abode, but to no avail; they insistently and dutifully follow him back home. No matter what he does to ditch the little tykes, they refuse to leave their big, black, hairy mama’s side.

Trying to make the best of a very bad situation, he decides to teach them to do “goosey”/kid stuff such as wading in a pool, finger painting etc. He even explains and demonstrates the concept of bird migration to them. But the last idea especially does not seem to sink into the goslings’ little birdbrains.

So Bruce and his brood end up migrating to Miami via bus. There they lie on the beach, play in the sand, wear tacky t-shirts and even meet a turtle hatchling looking for his own mama.

This is a wonderfully hilarious story that I tested out on some early elementary aged kids, with very positive results of laughter and delight. The illustrations fit the text perfectly. Highly recommended for ages five to whatever.

]]>An A From Miss Kellerhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399804&blogid=1766
Trisha is nervous about being chosen for Miss Keller’s writing class. “Killer Keller” demands that her students dazzle her with their writing and rumor has it that she has never given an A. First assignment: 3 page essay – “Impress me… I want to see if you deserve to be here at all”!
When Trisha gets home from s]]>nancyds2016-01-13T16:15:20ZTrisha is nervous about being chosen for Miss Keller’s writing class. “Killer Keller” demands that her students dazzle her with their writing and rumor has it that she has never given an A. First assignment: 3 page essay – “Impress me… I want to see if you deserve to be here at all”!

When Trisha gets home from school, Pop Schloss, her next door neighbor and confidant, knows right away that she is worried about something. When she tells him she has the meanest teacher in the world, he knows immediately who it is. Both of his sons had Killer Keller and Pop has a story to tell Trisha but not today – he will tell it at some point later.

The first assignment ends up with them all being asked to look up a word in the thesaurus. Pop gives Trisha the thesaurus that his boys used. The writing assignments keep coming. After one such homework assignment Trisha is given a “C”, Miss Keller keeps her after school. Killer Keller let’s Trisha know she has words but she needs to give them wings. Of course Trisha tells Pop all about it. He says his guess is that Miss Keller has taken an interest in her. As the semester flies by it is finally time for Killer Keller to assign the dreaded term essay. Again she asks Trisha to stay after school for a little chat. Miss Keller suggests Trisha write a personal narrative. Unfortunately Trisha has a hard time deciding on a subject that Miss Keller agrees with. While baking cookies with Pop and her friends he finally tells her the story. From there an event leads to Trisha finding her emotional voice and writing an essay which earns her a top mark.

The illustrations are so identifiable as Patricia Polacco’s work. The expression on the character’s faces help to move the story forward. As with many of Polacco’s books they are personal stories that will touch your heart. As I often do, I read new children’s books while I am working the Reader’s Service Desk. I am always searching for new stories to share both for storytimes, new ideas and recommendations to reader’s. This book touched my heart so much so that I was in tears by the end of the story. An A From Miss Keller is worth a read, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

]]>The World Beyond Your Headhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399769&blogid=1766
I keep hearing that autonomous cars are coming in the very near future and it has me thinking about how that fact connects to Matthew Crawford’s (author of Shop Class as Soulcraft) deeply thought provoking book, The World Beyond Your Head . Crawford argues that as our modern life becomes physically and mentally easie]]>mykyl2016-01-12T16:42:05ZShop Class as Soulcraft)deeply thought provoking book, The World Beyond Your Head. Crawford argues that as our modern life becomes physically and mentally easier, and our need to attend to things like driving or manually making anything decreases, our attention is becoming more and more fragmented and monetized as we are fed advertising virtually every moment of our waking lives. We are in the midst of a cultural crisis of attention and are in real danger of losing something of our individual selves and our common humanity. Most would “blame” technology for this crisis, but Crawford’s arguments are more nuanced, to quote him: “in a culture saturated with technologies for appropriating our attention, our interior mental lives are laid bare as a resource to be harvested by others. Viewing it this way shifts our gaze from the technology itself to the intention that guides its design and its dissemination into every area of life.” So with that I urge you to immediately smash that smart phone in your pocket and go make a canoe or something and at the very least read The World Beyond Your Head. Otherwise we are all likely to end up dazedly riding along in the back of one of those self-driving cars as incessant ads stream through our muddy consciousness.]]>Not So Perfecthttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399768&blogid=1766
Perfect Peace is by no means a new release- I read this title thanks to one of our library's wonderful patrons. While helping this patron find a copy of the book, she mentioned she had read it for her book club. &#160;At the time, I thought it sounded interesting. &#160;When it was my turn to pick for my own bo]]>CatherineLewis2016-01-12T16:08:10ZPerfect Peace is by no means a new release- I read this title thanks to one of our library's wonderful patrons. While helping this patron find a copy of the book, she mentioned she had read it for her book club. At the time, I thought it sounded interesting. When it was my turn to pick for my own book club, I remembered this book and decided to give it a shot. It did not disappoint!

All Emma Jean Peace wanted in life was a daughter to dote upon. When she gave birth to her seventh- and final- child and saw it was yet another boy, she decided to make her dream come true by raising him as a girl. Perfect Peace lived in girlhood joy until she turned eight years old and her mother told her, and the rest of the Peace family, about her “true” gender. The news shocked the Peace family, as well as the rest of the community. It also, to say the least, rocked Perfect to her core and created an internal struggle that would last a lifetime: how do you learn to be a different gender?

While Perfect may be considered the main character, the story is about the entire Peace family’s struggles and triumphs. Daniel Black's narration flows seamlessly from one family member to another, giving a picture of each Peace’s personal growth and role in the family. Be aware that Perfect Peace is not a lighthearted, easy read- much of the material is very heavy and will take you outside of your comfort zones. Even though this book is in a very different setting, it made me reexamine modern gender constructs, as well as contemplate what it really means to be a member of a family and a community. It is an excellent read and I would like to say a big THANK YOU to the patron who recommended this book to me.]]>Dead Wake: the last crossing of the Lusitaniahttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399767&blogid=1766
I really enjoy listening to non-fiction on audio. For some reason it makes more of an impression than reading the very same title. That is definitely true of Dead wake: the last crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson. We of course know the outcome in advance- that a German submarine torpedoed and sank the ship of]]>NancyS2016-01-12T12:50:22ZThat is definitely true of Dead wake: the last crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson. We of course know the outcome in advance- that a German submarine torpedoed and sank the ship off the coast of Ireland in 1915. The vessel was carrying over 1000 people, with a record number of women and children aboard.

Larson gives the story a narrative feel, not just a recounting of the facts. His details about passengers, for example, make it feel like fiction, and you care about these people. He has clearly done extensive research, and it’s apparent in the many poignant details.

Dead Wake: the last crossing of the Lusitania was a New York Times Notable Book for 2015, and also appears on other “Best” books lists. The devil in the white city: murder, magic and madness at the fair that changed America is another excellent non-fiction read by Erik Larson, and is set in Chicago during the 1893 World’s Fair. ]]>Out on the Wirehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399766&blogid=1766
&#160;As I was reviewing Best of 2015 booklists, I came across Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio , which was named one of the best graphic novels of the year. To clarify, it is not a novel in the sense of a novel being fiction; it is nonfiction. But it is graphic…in other words, dr]]>KarenT2016-01-12T11:43:39Z As I was reviewing Best of 2015 booklists, I came across Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio, which was named one of the best graphic novels of the year. To clarify, it is not a novel in the sense of a novel being fiction; it is nonfiction. But it is graphic…in other words, drawn. As Kirkus Reviews states “[t]hough drawing cartoons about radio would seem to be counterintuitive—exploring such an aural medium through visual means—Abel (La Perdida, 2006, etc.) shows what a complementary, multilayered relationship the two can have.”

As a public radio fan and someone who, while I’m listening, tends to wonder about how these shows are put together, I was immediately hooked. From This American Life and Radiolab to Snap Judgement and The Moth, Abel offers a fascinating look at the process of getting these (and other) radio shows on the air. I ask myself if it would have made as big an impact if it was only written, i.e., without the sequential cartoon panels typical of most graphic novels. For me, I don’t think it would have. I appreciated having the visual context of who these people are and what their process actually looks like. Regardless, the information contained therein is not only interesting but also useful for anyone with a desire to hop on the storytelling/podcasting train. As Ira Glass states in the Foreword, “This book is a first-rate field manual for anyone thinking of joining our radio army.”

(Speaking of Ira Glass, I look forward to seeing him at Miller Auditorium in Kalamazoo on Sunday, January 24 when he’ll talk about This American Life and how it’s put together.)

]]>The Book of Speculationhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399765&blogid=1766
Water and mystery surround the characters in The Book of Speculation : a crumbling house ready to fall off the cliff, mermaids, an ancient tarot deck.
This magical novel centers on librarian Simon Watson and a water-damaged book about a traveling carnival from the late 1700’s – a book which may reveal why the w]]>AnnR2016-01-12T11:07:15ZWater and mystery surround the characters in The Book of Speculation: a crumbling house ready to fall off the cliff, mermaids, an ancient tarot deck.

This magical novel centers on librarian Simon Watson and a water-damaged book about a traveling carnival from the late 1700’s – a book which may reveal why the women in his family can all hold their breath far longer than normal but have drowned.

It’s hard to describe this book in such a way to entice others to read it! It was one of my favorite books of the year. One reviewer described it as “an engrossing literary tale-spinner with an assurance rarely mastered in debut novels.” It is indeed engrossing if you can suspend disbelief a bit. I can, especially when it involves a librarian!

]]>Happy New Year!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399724&blogid=1766
Quite often at the turn of the year various media publish chronologies and retrospective writings about the year just past. In this same vein, but with a different slant, comes author Michael Farquhar with Bad Days: A Gleefully Grim Chronicle of Misfortune, Mayhem, and Misery for Every Day of the Year. The front flap]]>David D.2016-01-07T20:14:59ZBad Days: A Gleefully Grim Chronicle of Misfortune, Mayhem, and Misery for Every Day of the Year. The front flap says, 'Think you're having a bad day? Trust us, it could be worse.' For each day of the year in this 2015 book there is a one- or two-page account of something bad that happened on that day. I checked the entry for my birthday and found that it was about Abraham Lincoln's appointment of George B. McClellan as supreme commander of the entire Union army, a move Lincoln would later regret. Similarly, the entry for April 14 tells about 'The Other Attack the Night Lincoln Was Shot,' referring to the stabbing of Secretary of State William H. Seward. Not all of the stories will appeal to everyone, but this book is good for browsing in small doses.]]>Congratulations, Gene Luen Yang!http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399723&blogid=1766
Congratulations to Gene Luen Yang , the newly inaugurated National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature ! I love his ideas about reading without walls. The first graphic novelist to be named&#160; Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and the first to be awarded the Printz Award ,&#160; Gene Luen Yang&#160; ]]>BillC2016-01-07T17:02:48ZGene Luen Yang, the newly inaugurated National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature! I love his ideas about reading without walls. The first graphic novelist to be named Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and the first to be awarded the Printz Award, Gene Luen Yang has an impressive body of work. Favorites of mine are Prime Baby and American Born Chinese. With a background as a high school computer science, math, and art teacher, Yang's new Secret Coders,about school-age-kids solving mysteries with coding, makes sense. Many are familiar with his very popular Avatar, the Last Airbender series, as well. You can keep up with Yang on his blog, too! ]]>The Skunkhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399692&blogid=1766
Mac Barnett writes really, really weird books for children. His latest, The Skunk , is a simple story about a man who is suddenly, quietly, inexplicably followed by a skunk everywhere he goes. Our tuxedoed hero goes to great lengths to lose the skunk, embarking on a frantic chase throughout the city, all to no avail. ]]>Stewart F.2016-01-05T14:52:34ZThe Skunk, is a simple story about a man who is suddenly, quietly, inexplicably followed by a skunk everywhere he goes. Our tuxedoed hero goes to great lengths to lose the skunk, embarking on a frantic chase throughout the city, all to no avail. Is the man imagining the skunk? Is this a psychological horror story in picture book form? The ending provides no clear answers, and in fact The Skunk definitely doesn't end up where it seems like it's going. Read The Skunk and figure it out for yourself!]]>The Rest of Us Just Live Herehttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399680&blogid=1766
I would have checked out this book based on the clever title and premise alone. But I was so impressed with the story. Patrick Ness is always great but The Rest of us Just Live Here &#160;is a new favorite of mine. It's funny and moving. The characters are so real and the humor is witty and charming. It's a quick a]]>AndreaV2015-12-30T16:55:52ZI would have checked out this book based on the clever title and premise alone. But I was so impressed with the story. Patrick Ness is always great but The Rest of us Just Live Here is a new favorite of mine. It's funny and moving. The characters are so real and the humor is witty and charming. It's a quick and powerful read that reminds us that we all have a part to play. We are all a hero to someone even if we aren't the "Chosen One."

I don't want to say much more or I'll ruin it. Even this review from the New York Times is a bit of a spoiler so only click over if you must. Otherwise, just pick up this book and enjoy!

]]>Rethink for 2016http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399678&blogid=1766
Rethink the Way You Live by Amanda Talbot is hybrid of a book that tackles a wide range of topics by way of brief, think pieces while at the same time supplying the visual reader with a healthy dose of photography depicting upscale home and work interiors (readers of Dwell Magazine will enjoy). The text of the bo]]>RyanG2015-12-30T14:07:57ZRethink the Way You Live by Amanda Talbot is hybrid of a book that tackles a wide range of topics by way of brief, think pieces while at the same time supplying the visual reader with a healthy dose of photography depicting upscale home and work interiors (readers of Dwell Magazine will enjoy). The text of the book surveys the relationship between technology, design, sustainable lifestyle practices, and architecture. I enjoyed the book for the images more so than the for-the-privileged messages but for those who have an intellectual curiosity in grappling with the impact of consumerism, processed culture and time-sucking technology, this book may provide a starting point to begin to reassess the importance of time, space, community and nature in one's life.]]>Top 10 Books of 2015http://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399662&blogid=1766
I always look forward to this time of the year and finding out what The New York Times Book Review chooses as the 10 best books of the year. I do like to see if I have read any of them, but I’m not surprised if I haven’t because I’m usually at least a year behind. The question would be, did I get to the ones I wan]]>Steve S2015-12-22T11:22:00ZI always look forward to this time of the year and finding out what The New York Times Book Review chooses as the 10 best books of the year. I do like to see if I have read any of them, but I’m not surprised if I haven’t because I’m usually at least a year behind. The question would be, did I get to the ones I wanted to read from last year?

I was surprised though to find that most of the books did not even ring a bell.

I had read one of them, Ta-Nehisi Coates National Book Award winner for nonfiction Between the World and Me. We were lucky to have him come speak here in Kalamazoo just a few months ago.

How many have you read and how many are you going to add to your list?

]]>Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girlhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399658&blogid=1766
For the last year or so, Carrie Brownstein has been everywhere- if you’ve been paying attention. Many will recognize her from her role on IFC’s Portlandia , which she developed with her friend and collaborator, Fred Armisen , and is returning for a sixth season in January of 2016. Others will remember her playing g]]>PatrickJ2015-12-21T15:36:55ZCarrie Brownstein has been everywhere- if you’ve been paying attention. Many will recognize her from her role on IFC’s Portlandia, which she developed with her friend and collaborator, Fred Armisen, and is returning for a sixth season in January of 2016. Others will remember her playing guitar for Sleater-Kinney, the Olympia, WA based Riot Grrrl/Indie Rock trio, who reunited in 2014 after eight years of indefinite hiatus to record and release their eighth studio album entitled No Cities to Love. At some point during all of this, she found time to write a memoir, and we are really, really glad that she did.

Brownstein does a very commendable job in describing her origins and the people and events that would shape the person those of us familiar with her work cannot help but feel as though we have come to know. She discusses her tendency towards the dramatic and her love of performance, manifested in her early years in the form of a Duran Duran cover band in which she mimicked Simon Le Bon by singing over their recordings while neighborhood kids whaled on wooden instruments. She recounts her mother’s battle with anorexia, her parents’ divorce, and her father’s discovery and gradual acceptance of his homosexuality.

It’s upon these substantial foundations that Brownstein builds the story of her career in music, which began to crystallize in high school bands, record stores, and the development of an encyclopedic knowledge of rock and roll. With college came relocation, and she talks about attending school in Olympia, WA, not necessarily for academic purposes, but to be closer to the unique music scene developing there.

The Riot Grrrl movement coalesced in the early 90's in both Washington D.C. and in the Pacific Northwest (particularly Olympia), where it grew alongside the so-called grunge rock revolution that was being taken mainstream by Seattle-based bands like Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Nirvana. Riot Grrrl was the early cultural face of third-wave feminism and, as a musical force, combined punk rock aesthetics with an uncompromising assault on gender and social inequalities, homophobia, and physical and emotional violence against women. Brownstein says in her mind, Olympia, WA was something akin to Paris of the 1920s.

Her formal introduction to Heavens to Betsy frontwoman and future co-founder of Sleater-Kinney, Corin Tucker, follows quickly. From there, it becomes a fast-paced narrative of the trials and tribulations of that creative partnership, cemented after two albums with the addition of Janet Weiss to the band. There are some excellent stories here, including one from a tour with The White Stripes in which Carrie and Jack White are turned away from a college party because it was “too full”. Additionally, there are plenty of details in which shameless fans of Carrie can revel. I just knew her beloved cat, Hector, must have been named after the tragic Trojan hero from The Iliad. I knew it.

Throughout, Brownstein's writing is delightful- the sort of metaphor-rich prose you might expect from a songwriter, tempered with a lexicon befitting a graduate of sociolinguistics (she received her BA from Evergreen State College). Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl is a compelling and entertaining read that has quickly been adopted into the pantheon of Riot Grrrl literature. Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth called it “…the book everyone has been waiting for.” So. Carrie Brownstein’s new book: did you read it?]]>A Christmas Tale from Street Cat Bobhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399652&blogid=1766
Following A Street Cat Named Bob and The World According to Bob , A Gift From Bob by James Bowen is the third installment in the “Bob the Cat” series of books.
This one differs from the previous two by focusing on past Christmases, especially the bleak holiday season of 2010, when James was very low on c]]>TeresaM-R2015-12-21T10:14:29ZFollowing A Street Cat Named Bob and The World According to Bob, A Gift From Bob by James Bowen is the third installment in the “Bob the Cat” series of books.

This one differs from the previous two by focusing on past Christmases, especially the bleak holiday season of 2010, when James was very low on cash and the winter weather was especially harsh. His main concern was survival; earning enough to pay for his electricity which was just about to be shut off, and to put some food on the table.

James was a London busker at the time. He sold copies of a magazine called “The Big Issue” as well as played his guitar for tips. His reality was such that he knew that the only way to make some money was to venture outdoors, bad weather notwithstanding.

Luckily, his faithful cat companion Bob, whom he had found three years earlier, allowed him to attract people in a novel way. Although James never forced his feline to join him when he went to work, Bob was usually game to spend time on his best friend’s shoulder or on a harness, instead of being curled up near the toasty radiator at the flat they shared together. With Bob by his side, James was not just another invisible face in the crowd relying on the kindness of strangers.

Thanks to Bob’s presence, those dreary days leading up to Christmas and the period right afterwards, turned out to be very lucrative for James. Many of his regular customers actively searched for the lively duo, and enthusiastically donated money to help them out. James was especially touched by the realization that people he knew casually or had just met, were so generous. They reached out to James and Bob not only with money, but with greeting cards and kind words to cheer them up. James felt grateful, emotional, and incredibly blessed by their outpouring of affection and caring. What James learned through this tough period of his life was the true meaning of the holidays – that it all hinges upon the gifts of kindness, generosity, and time.

That holiday period was the last time he faced real financial hardship. The presence of his constant buddy Bob marked a big turning point in his previously troubled life. Bob gave him companionship, purpose, and direction.

And as they say, the rest is history. His first book about Bob and their relationship was published in March 2012, and became a sensational, global success.

So best wishes to James and Bob, and to all a good holiday night!

]]>Hamiltonhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399578&blogid=1766
“I’m always thrilled when theater gets off the arts page and into our common conversation.” So says composer, performer, and 2015 MacArthur Fellow Lin-Manuel Miranda, who has written two of Broadway’s biggest hits in the last decade: In the Heights (2008) and this year’s huge success, Hamilton . I find myself beco]]>KarenT2015-12-16T09:20:37Z“I’m always thrilled when theater gets off the arts page and into our common conversation.”

So says composer, performer, and 2015 MacArthur Fellow Lin-Manuel Miranda, who has written two of Broadway’s biggest hits in the last decade: In the Heights (2008) and this year’s huge success, Hamilton. I find myself becoming a good example of Miranda’s sentiment. I’ve always been drawn to musicals and enjoy listening to the soundtracks. Lately I’ve been listening to the Hamilton soundtrack (which I checked out on Hoopla, by the way). This in turn has led me to become more curious about Hamilton’s life so I have just placed a hold on the biography that was the inspiration for Miranda’s musical--a book that would not have interested me otherwise. I look forward to having a better understanding of the historical context for the musical, and then having that understanding become a part of my common conversation.

Thank you, Mr. Miranda.

]]>Euphoriahttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399571&blogid=1766
Andrew Bankston, an anthropologist studying the Kionas, narrates this novel by Lily King set in New Guinea and loosely based on the life of anthropologist Margaret Meade. He meets Nell, the Margaret Meade character, and her husband Fen, and helps them settle in with the Tam people who they undertake to study.
Ne]]>AnnR2015-12-15T16:32:26ZAndrew Bankston, an anthropologist studying the Kionas, narrates this novel by Lily King set in New Guinea and loosely based on the life of anthropologist Margaret Meade. He meets Nell, the Margaret Meade character, and her husband Fen, and helps them settle in with the Tam people who they undertake to study.

Nell is the rising star with a bestselling book. Fen is competitive and jealous of her success. Andrew has been alone for two years and craves their friendship; emotional and sexual tension develops. The reader senses some trouble or bad things will happen, but it is not clear until the end just what that will be.

This is the best kind of historic novel – the reader wants to investigate the real-life inspiration for the story. I haven’t done that yet. No matter how much of this is true / not true, it is a very satisfying read.

]]>Just one man's opinionhttp://www.kpl.gov/blog/Default.aspx?id=15032399546&blogid=1766
Claire Vaye Watkins incredible debut novel Gold Fame Citrus is set in a speculative future Southern California ravaged by unrelenting drought and transformed into an enormous barren landscape meets surreal new age wild-west show. The story follows vagabond couple Luz and Ray as they make their way in this dangerous w]]>mykyl2015-12-11T14:05:10ZGold Fame Citrus is set in a speculative future Southern California ravaged by unrelenting drought and transformed into an enormous barren landscape meets surreal new age wild-west show. The story follows vagabond couple Luz and Ray as they make their way in this dangerous world. It is a moving story that is very skillfully told by Watkins. I loved this book. But now I worry that, based on a recent essay titled On Pandering that Claire Vaye Watkins published on the Tin House website, perhaps my opinion is biased by my being a man. On Pandering, in which Watkins contemplates how completely societal power imbalances influence how we all make our way in the world and in particular how she writes, has generated a heated debate in literary circles, and beyond. It is an incredibly honest and thoughtful piece of writing that, for me, only reinforces my view of Gold Fame Citrus as work of a highly talented writer.]]>